good morning. not so fast. iran's judiciary says the release of those two american hikers convicted of spying is their call, not iran's president. this, just a day after mahmoud ahmadinejad told ann they were on the verge of being released. ann's live in tehran with the latest. my worst nightmare, cindy anthony opens up for the first time about confronting casey over the disappearance of her daughter. >> i wanted to go choke her, hit her. and i just went over there and i just punched the bed as hard as i could to get my anger out. >> and now she's suggesting a series of medical problems may have led to casey's unusual behavior. and missoni madness, target releases a new line from the legendary italian fashion house, sending shoppers into a frenzy. demand so high the store's website crashed and target is

apologizing and struggling to get back online today, apologizing and struggling to get back online today, wednesday, september 14th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning, i'm matt lauer. >> and seem savannah guthrie, ann is on assignment in tehran. you've got to feel for the families of the hikers josh fattal and shane bauer. no it's being called into question by iran's powerful judiciary. >> and mahmoud ahmadinejad has no control over the judiciary. this is a similar situation to what happened before, when the other hiker, sarah fried was freed a year agoed. and a remarkable surgery to

separate conjoined twins fused at the pelvis and the spine. it took doctors 13 hours in what's being called the most complex surgery in a hospital's history. coming up, we find out here doing in an exclusive live interview. and the incredible video on tuesday, good samaritans lifting a two-ton burning bmw off a man trapped underneath. the victim, expected to make a full recovery. coming up, we talk to some of the heroes of that dramatic rescue. we begin on wednesday, with the potential hurdle in the release of two american hikers jailed in tehran for two years now. ann is in tehran with the latest. ann, what's going on. good morning. >> that's a good question, matt, thanks so much. iran's judiciary today said the release of two american hikers quote was not imminent. but at the same time it did not deny that the two would soon be freed. this could actually be a power play by the judiciary and also

there seems to be some confusion over the translation of the word "imminent." and all this is happening as nbc news is learning surprising new details about the behind-the-scenes negotiations that led up to this move. it was iraq's president, who personally negotiated the release when he was in iran last week. the iraqi embassy in iran tells nbc news. a spokesman also telling us it was families of shane bauer and josh fattal that requested the president of iraq get involved. the families got the first word that a deal was being made when they were told about president ahmadinejad's comments in our interview on "today." the families saying in a written statement, they are overvideoed, shane and josh's freedom means more to us than anything and it's a huge relief to read that they are going to be released. many americans want to know how it could be that iran could sentence the two young hikers,

josh fattal and shane bauer, to eight years in prison for spying. what is the evidence against them? at first, that question drew a tough answer from iran's president. >> translator: they have very tough loss. we have the same last year in the country. >> then came a surprise. >> translator: we are also trying to make arrangements for their freedom. for the freedom of the other two. i think these two will be freed in a couple of days. >> in a couple of days? >> translator: in a couple of days. >> within hours after the president uttered these words, bail was set for the two young americans at half a million dollars each. >> unfortunately, is certain until josh and shane have actually left iranian air space.

>> bauer and fattal, convicted by iran last month of illegally entering the country and spying for america, have already spent 775 days in prison. the question now is, what condition are they in? >> translator: these two people are having a very good condition here in prison. it's like staying in a hotel. >> an unusual description of conditions inside iran's s evin. bauer's fee iancee was taken into custody with them in 2009 . her bail, half a million dollars, paid by an unknown party. on tuesday, secretary of state hillary clinton responded with cautious optimism. >> we obviously hope that we will see a positive outcome from what appears to be a decision by the government. >> welcome news, just ten days before president ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the united nations. and once again, appear on the

world stage. >> well certainly one of the motivations likely is that as ahmadinejad comes to the united nations' general assembly next week or so, that he will have something positive to ride on. >> sources within iran's government tell nbc news the release is expected, still expected within the next coming days. the story is on the front page of the impending release of every newspaper in iran. and in some of the newspapers, the hikers are being called spies, and the question is being asked, why would iran release them now? matt, back to you. >> it's a tough story to follow. we thank you for your reporting on that and appreciate it very much. it's now six minutes after the hour. here's savannah. now to politics and the renewed firestorm over a controversial vaccine. during monday's republican presidential debate, congresswoman michele bachmann took a political swipe at

governor rick perry, over a controversial amendment that would have required teenaged girls to get the hpv vaccine. >> she needed to get attention for her candidacy, and she did. the question is, did michele bachmann take atough attack line against rick perry too far. the subject is that hpv vaccine and bachmann's claims about dangerous side effects for young girls. this all began when michele bachmann scored a big debate moment. >> to have innocent little 12-year-old girls be forced to have a government injection through an executive order is just flat-out wrong. that should never be done. >> reporter: bachmann hit governor rick perry hard monday, over his 2007 order to vaccinate girls in texas against a very common sexually-transmitted virus called hpv which has been linked to deadly diseases like cervical cancer. >> this was about trying to stop a cancer. >> reporter: then bachmann made

a startling claim about the vaccine tu the source was an unnamed mother she said she met at the debate. >> she said her little daughter took that vaccine, that injection and she suffered from mentaltion thereafter, it can have very dangerous side effects. >> reporter: the fallout was swift from medical experts who accused bachmann of irresponsibly provoking parents' fears about the vaccine. the experts said the drug, gardas gardasil, is safe and that bachmann is wrong. >> i feel it's the obligation of our elected officials to get reliable information before they make statements about vaccines, and certainly about vaccine safety. >> reporter: the centers for disease control says of 35 million doses, side effects mostly minor, were reported in about 19,000 cases. but no reports of mental retardation. and there's political fallout. rush limbaugh said bachmann tarnished her strong debate performance.

>> that's jumping the shark. there's no evidence that the vaccine causes mental retardation. >> reporter: until her claim about retardation, bachmann had been on safe conservative ground. many conservatives oppose states requiring girls be vaccinated against hpv which is spread through sexual contact. >> it's not a disease that's transmitted through casual contact. we don't believe that it should be subject to the same kind of mandates that other childhood illnesses are. >> reporter: while governor perry did not respond directly to bachmann, he defended the value of the vaccine. >> this issue about gardasil, in making it available, was about saving people's lives. >> reporter: and asked about all of this, bachmann said that she's not a scientist, not a physician and she was simply reporting what had been told to her. and savannah bachmann said perry had been motivated to make the consecutive order because he had

received campaign contributions from merck. and we found that perry's gubernatorial campaigns had actually received $28,500 from the drug company merck and they also hired his former chief of staff as one of their top lobbyists in texas. let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories. natalie morales, at the news desk after a week in brazil. good morning, the president heads to north carolina today to drum up support for his $447 million jobs plan. the president spent tuesday in ohio pushing for the bill to be passed, asking lawmakers, quote, what on earth are we waiting for? a top obama strategist said the jobs package is not an ala carte menu and will not be passed in part. republicans scored an upset victory in the special election for former congressman anthony

weiner's seat. bob turner has become the first republican in nine decades to win new york's historically democratic ninth congressional seat district. the marathon 20-hour assault on the u.s. embassy in kabul has now ended with all of the insurgent attackers dead. several suicide bombers, a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades and bullet fire were used to target the u.s. embassy, nato headquarters and several other buildings in kabul. amazingly, no nato or u.s. embassy employees were hurt in the attack. nbc news has learned this morning that al qaeda's new chief and key commanders are likely hiding in yemen or somalia after leaving south asia. ayman al zawahiri took over the terror network after the death of osama bin laden. a pakistani intelligence official told nbc that the

information was gathered during recent al qaeda arrests. now to wall street, cnbc's melissa lee is at new york stock exchange. >> europe in focus once again. two of france's largest banks getting a credit rating downgrade from moody's this morning. this ahead of what could be a market-moving conference call later this morning with the french president, german chancellor, as well as greek prime minister. meantime here in the united states, yahoo's board is meeting to discuss what options it might have, including possibly selling itself to another company. just last week yahoo fired its ceo over the phone. shares are down 14%. >> melissa lee at the new york stock exchange, thank you. the attorney who helped get casey anthony acquitted of murder is now in aruba to be a consultant in the defense of gary jordano. the maryland businessman held in the disappearance of josie gardner. he can serve in an advisory

role. and gumby has taken himself to the pokey. the man accused of trying to rob a convenience store dressed as the bendable green character turned himself in on tuesday, along with his alleged police. he even turned in his green suit when he waved the white flag, surrendering. is now 7:13, back to matt and savannah. they don't know to charge him with, criminal charges or if it's all a prank. but of course it's being taken pretty seriously, considering he claimed he had a gun. >> it is serious. i think it is a fashion crime at the very least. no? >> it's pretty awful, no question. mr. roker is here, we've got one more day of summer feeling here. >> and some folks are going be it's an early winter all of a sudden. record-setting heat. wichita falls 100 days of 100 degrees or hotter this year, and 70 days or hotter in dallas, and then look up into the northern

plains. we're talking freeze warnings and frost advisories. why? big area of high pressure and a cold front will be pushing through. 91 in dallas. 86, new york city. front moves through, and bam, we're looking at temperatures, 73 in memorandum tuesday, 64, charlotte, and 68 in new york city. dallas cools down to 84 degrees. that's what is going on around the country, and here's what is happening in your neck of the woods. >> sunrise over northeast washington. out in the horizon, prince georges county. we're in the 60s most of the reen. and it's 68 at reagan national. 50s in parts of the shan doana valley and into the mountains. and later today we should hit the 80s, and there's a possibility of afternoon now though those good

samaritans in utah being hailed as heroes for their daring rescue of a motorcyclist trapped beneath a burning car. we'll talk to some of the men in a moment. but first, nbc's george lewis has more on this amazing story. george, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. and college student named brandon wright, 21 years old, is in the hospital behind me, expected to make a full recovery this morning. this, after a group of ordinary citizens pulled him from beneath a flaming car. without them, he might have burned to death. moments after the car collided with wright's motorcycle, local 911 switchboards lit up. >> the motorcycle is spitting out fire and i don't know if it's going to explode or not. >> wright, a student at utah state university, is alive this morning because of the kindness of strangers. a group of people who rushed in to rescue him, as he was trapped under the car that hit his motorcycle, rupturing the gas tank.

brandon was conscious as a small group of people tried unsuccessfully to lift the car. >> he said he remembers everything that happened. he remembers being under the car and spitting out blood and not being able to talk. >> reporter: finally, more rescuers arrived and disregarding the danger of fire or explosion, they tipped the car far enough so that brandon could be pulled to safety. >> it was only a matter of seconds, three to five seconds, before there were a dozen citizens there and had this car up on two wheels. i barely had enough time to react to the change of plans. >> everyone charged the vehicle, propped it up and got him out. >> you don't think too much about the adrenaline you have in your body, it's very high. >> before we pulled him out, i thought dead or alive, i don't want to sit her and watch this guy burn. >> reporter: police officers ordered the rescuers to back off as they rushed in to fight the fire. because the rescue was recorded on video by someone in a nearby office building, it's gotten international media attention.

rescuer matt barney says he's uncomfortable with the hero treatment. >> it's second nature. if you see someone in trouble, you help them. >> reporter: brandon wright's uncle says his neef fphew has l and pelvis fractures but he'll come through just fine. >> reporter: brandon wright is doubly lucky he was wearing no motorcycle helmet, but did not sustain any head injuries. his uncle said his nephew will now become a major advocate for wearing helmets. >> derrick harper, mike johnson an and. cade, i'll start with you, i understand you were the first to notice the fire when you walked over to the scene, what went through your mind when you realized this was a terrible accident? >> you know, i wasn't quite

knowing what was going on. but i was just trying to figure out where the driver of the motorcycle was. and as i stand there trying to understand where he was at, there's some people running around the car and later on, you notice he's underneath the car and my heart just dropped. i was sick. >> i can only imagine how you all felt in that moment. mike, we actually have video of you, as you approached the car. as you kind of surveyed that scene, did you think anyone could possibly have survived this accident? >> well, no. the truth is, i thought that we were just removing the car from a body. i just didn't think that the body should just burn with the car. and then the lady that got down on her belly and stared under there right in the flames. she hollered out that he's alive. and after she said that, everybody just converged on the

car and lifted it. >> and derrick -- >> i don't know who she was, but that lady, she did a great service. >> well, everyone is so amazed, they see all of you basically running into danger. and derrick, i have to ask you, were you thinking this is a pretty scary situation. we ourselves could be hurt. >> you know, it really didn't pop in my head about that. it just didn't come, they needed some help. so i just ran around to kind of help out. >> mike, as the adrenaline kind of kick in at that moment? >> yeah, it really did. i mean there's so many people there trying to help and i, i was thinking last night. i don't think the same people that were there could lift that car and just walking up to it and lifting it when there was no kind of a need. i don't think it could have been done. adrenaline would have to be doing that. >> jade, how did you feel when

you found out that the person under the car, brandon, is actually going it make a full recovery, according to his doctors. and you guys were part of saving his life. >> you know, it's just a miracle. i sat there and looked at him and i was sick. but i have been worried about him. and knowing that he's going to make a full recovery and he's going to be all right, i'm just glad we were there at the right time, in the right place. >> indeed, derrick harper, mike johnson and cade lundgren, we're all amazed at you. thank you for being with us. thank you. still ahead, did a medical condition cause casey anthony to tell so many lies? we'll have more of george and cindy anthony's first interview since their daughter was acquitted of murder. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, we'll talk

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good morning. it's 7:26 on this wednesday, the 14th of september. looks like we have a beautiful start to the day out there. let's get the forecast meteorologist, tom kierein. >> more summer and september weather on the way. right now the sun is up and a clear sky and temperatures are generally in the 60s throughout most of the region. right now 68 at reagan national. later today we should be climb into the mid-80s with increasing clouds from the west. now this afternoon there may be showers and thunderstorms in the mountains, but closer to washington, i don't see we will see any of that until perhaps this evening there's a chance, otherwise clouds come in tonight and maybe some chance

good morning, traveling 277 south, the earlier accident is cleared but you will still see delays to the super. and the talent hopeful is

7:0 now on a wednesday morning, the 14th day of 2011, got an enthusiastic crowd lining up on the plaza. another beautiful sunny morning here in the northeast. going up to the mid 80s before a big change in weather that al will tell you about in just a little while. meanwhile, inside the studio i'm matt lauer, alongside savannah guthrie while ann continues on assignment in iran. just ahead, more from george and cindy anthony's first interview since their daughter's murder trial. coming up, they open up about their daughter's lies and what happened when they finally confronted casey about caylee's disappearance. plus the frenzy caused at target about the opening of the new missoni line. is it worth all the fuss? we're going to get into that. and we want to let you know coming up on friday here on

"today," we have an exclusive interview with charlie sheen. we talk to him about his family, where his career is headed, and what it was like earlier this year when his life got a little bit chaotic. take a look. >> it was like being shot out of a cannon, into another cannon. and then just shot out of that one. it was from one moment to the next, i didn't know what was going to happen. it was pretty exciting. and then the whole -- >> exciting or scary at times? >> both, yeah. but you know, i had the whole thing, i don't believe in fear and defeat is not an option. i had to live by those mottos, regardless of how i felt. >> you can see our exclusive interview with charlie sheen friday morning here on "today." we begin this half hour with the new interview with casey anthony's parents, nbc's kerry sanders has the latest. kerry, good morning to you. >> reporter: george and cindy anthony have not spoke ton their daughter since she walked free from jail. but now in a revealing interview shot here in los angeles, they

open up about casey's lies and actions, divulging family secrets anywhere heard before. no longer on the stand and no longer in the courtroom, george and cindy spoke out for the first time since their daughter, casey's, trial. >> the last one i saw caylee with was casey. >> in an interview with dr. phil, the anthonys trace back to where they think things went wrong. when casey's lies began. back to when she hid her pregnancy from her parents for five months. >> do you think it odd that she hid that from you all until that far into the pregnancy. >> we asked her. >> reporter: they say the lies continued to pile on. perhaps sparked by a family crisis. >> cindy and i had separated for a few months. i just noticed her not being at the places she said she was going to be at. things never added up to me. >> reporter: the rift between casey and her parents deepened during the do you 6 separation because of george's secret gambling debts. >> everybody felt let down by

their dad. and kind of betrayed. and the thing that hurt casey the most was that he wanted us to sell the house and split it up. that casey felt like he was kicking her and caylee out. >> my daughter has been missing for the last 31 days. >> reporter: for the first time, cindy revealed what happened when she finally confronted casey after not seeing her granddaughter for 31 days. >> i heard her telling lee that zanni had kidnapped caylee and she hadn't seen caylee for 31 days. my worst nightmare had just unfolded right in front of me. >> what did you say to casey? >> i don't know, i just screamed at her. i said what the hell are you talking about? i said what do you mean, you haven't seen caylee? i wanted to go choke her or hit her and i just went over there and i just punched the bed as hard as i could to get my anger out. >> reporter: three years later, cindy is still trying to figure it all out.

>> looking back now, i'm almost wondering if she didn't develop post-postpartum schizophrenia or some type of issue after her pregnancy. >> reporter: and an even bigger bombshell. >> people don't know, she had a grand mal seizure after she came home for the very first time. >> reporter: cindy claims it was casey's second seizure. >> she had a seizure in november of 2007. her ex-fiance had casey taken to the hospital for a grand mal seizure. >> has she ever been evaluated? c.a.t. scans? >> at that time, she did. >> did the doctor find anything? >> not at that time. >> reporter: but doctors say grand mal seizures do not cause any erantic behavior. >> there shouldn't be any changes in their personality or behavior. >> reporter: but for the anthonys, continued questions with no answers. >> i don't know why she's having

a seizure. does she have a brain tumor? were the seizures caused by stress? i don't know what happened. and that's what i want to find out down the road. >> reporter: neurologists say grand mal seizures in young people can be caused by a variety of problems in the brain. head injuries, prior history of infection as a child, even genetics. matt? >> kerry sanders in los angeles, thank you very much. i sat down with dr. phil mcgraw earlier this week. we started by watching a clip from his interview, where the anthonys talk about their daughter's state of mind after caylee's disappearance. >> what happened on june 16th. i don't know what happened to her. and was it so traumatic that her whole world went upside-down and it was easier for her to believe that caylee was with the nanny? to put it aside and go on with her life, because she couldn't face the tragedy. >> are you saying she went psychotic and lost contact with reality? >> possibly. i don't know that. but something happened that day,

that forever changed her behavior. >> analyze that a little bit for me. >> well, i think it's denial of the highest order. now understand, her sequence is, something happened to caylee, and therefore, she, casey, went off the deep end, as opposed to casey went off the deep end -- >> and did something to caylee. >> did you ask them point-blank, scale of one to ten, what are the chances in their belief system that casey anthony in fact killed her daughter? >> i did. and i talked to both of them. and with cindy, she came up with a number of things. she said, i think she's maybe had a brain tumor. and i said, well did you have her checked for that? well, yes. did you do mri, c.a.t. scan, x-rays, blood work? yes, yes, yes. did you find anything? well not then. but maybe something because she's had these grand mal seizures, we heard her talk

about on day one. it's like i'm going to find some reason to say it was involuntary on her part, whatever it is she did. and so when i confront her with that, she comes up with, another excu excuse, another excuse and another excuse. >> we've got two people here in george and cindy. if you and i were to sit here and witness an event right in front of us, we could probably both recount it differently. we would see different things in that. so there are clearly differences in the way they view what happened. let's take a look at an example. and this concerns the much-talked-about shovel. take a look. >> there's speculation or evidence that was brought about by our neighbors said that casey had borrowed a shovel from him. if she did, i don't know. that was something that he stated in a statement that he gave to us. >> do you believe she borrowed a shovel? >> according to our next-door neighbor, that's the statement that he gave. >> i think she borrowed a shovel. >> what do you think she did with that shovel? >> i think she did what she said she did with it. you might laugh at this. but she needed to cut a piece of

bamboo. and the shed was locked, once again. or maybe she used it to try to break into the shed and couldn't do it. i don't know. >> on your short list of explanations, you don't include the possibility that she used that shovel to dig a hole in the ground, in the woods, to bury her dead baby. >> how can the answer not be yes to that? yes, that's on the short list of possibilities? >> but, it was not. and her reasoning -- and this is what i mean, matt, when i say that i think this is just a mother's denial. she borrows a shovel the day that we know that, now know that her baby died. and we know that the baby was buried less than a mile from the house. and of course, she says well, the neighbor said he watched her the whole time and she never left, only had the shovel for an hour. the george said, wait a minute, he said he didn't see her the whole time. he didn't stand there and watch

her with the shovel. she did what she did and brought it back after a while. it's beyond illogical to not say i have to consider that's a possibility. and i think that you'll see this pattern. was it a grand mal seizure, was it hormonal, was it a brain tumor. i think she was cutting down bamboo with a shovel. the most casual observer would say you must logically -- >> at least open your mind to the possibility. >> right. >> how do they feel about the verdict? do they both agree with it? >> they have very different views of the verdict. and the third show that we do, which comes up next monday, we talk about the trial, what happened in the courtroom in that moment. what happened when the verdict was read. and i tell you, it is, it is rev revelatory how each person felt about it. i think it will tell a lot about what's going on between george and cindy right now concerning this and where they would be if

casey showed up on their front porch and said, i'm home, i need a place to stay. which could happen. >> we'll have more as you continue your interview with george and cindy anthony. thank you very much. you can see more of that interview today on dr. phil. check your local listings. let's get a check of the weather now from al roker. today's weather is brought to you by new coffee mate natural bliss. and good morning, everybody. you know, we've been talking about the we have been talking about the wildfires down in texas. they have them in minnesota as well. these fires have been burning in the last week or so. there is so much smoke it's actually making its way as far as chicago. there are folks in suburban chicago, and they think the fire is actually in the backyard because the smoke is so thick. let's show you what else is going on. tropical storm maria, southwest of bermuda. the path of it will bring it

between bermuda and the u.s. no big problems for us. for the most part we talk about rip currents and maybe strong swells along the shore way. wet weather making its way through mississippi. plenty of sunshine in the pacific northwest. 67 degrees in seattle today. that's what is going on around the country, and here's what is happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. more summer and september weather on the way. i am meteorologist, tom kierein, and right now we're in the 60s. we'll have lots of sun this morning. increasing clouds this afternoon as we hit the mid-80s. and this evening we may get showers that linger through mid thursday. and then tomorrow afternoon, sunny she is a cutie, what's her name? >> her name is sydney. >> hi, sydney. and sydney can watch her weather

day or night, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. matt? >> you're freaking me out, al. coming up next, we'll find out if your favorite restaurants make the grade when it comes to healthier food options. first, these messages. for the things we buy most. it's 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. that's 1% cash back on oscar. ...tony. oscar! 2% back on whatever she'll eat. 3% back on filling up this baby. [ male announcer ] now get 1-2-3 percent cash back. it's that simple. [ male announcer ] apply online or at a bank of america near you. we're talking 3% back on gas.

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prego?! but i've been buying ragu for years. [ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices i've made? [ '80s dance music plays ] [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego.

back now at 7:45, this morning on eat this, not that, restaurant report cards, more and more chains have introduced low-calorie options to their menus. the author of "eat this not that" the no-diet weight solution. great to see you. your general report card on thousand hess restaurants are doing on incorporating more healthy choices inner that menus. >> four years in, the trend is towards eat this, away from not that. a lot of restaurants have healthier menu items.

that said, they still have some side dishes, deserts, drinks and entrees that in some cases are a few meals' worth of calories. we might have to send a few restaurant ceos back a grade. >> we'll look at the major chains and we start with mcdonald's. >> give it a restaurant report card. what do you think it is? >> i'm guessing basically, if i think this is healthy food -- when i give this grade i want to say i love mcdonald's. i think in terms of healthiness, i would guess like d. >> it's actually a b plus. >> really? i'm happy to hear that. >> the clown is not that scarey. and here's why, what they've done in the last few years is they've made you get happy about the happy meal again. they have a lot of healthier options. right here, you have a 300-calorie egg mcmuffin. that's great. a quarter of that is 18 grams of protein right there. this is a mcdouble. this is only a few hundred calories.

this is a third calories of a fish fillet at like denny's, that's a great healthy option and they also introduced oatlegoat oatmeal. mcdonald's is making all the right moves right now. >> let's move to olive garden. i think the grade i would give do olive garden. maybe like a c minus. >> there are some weeds in this garden. we gave it a d plus, in our "eat this not that" restaurant report card. they're high in sodium. their average pasta dish is 1,000 calories. in this case, a chicken parm, that's 1100 calories. the equivalent of eating a dozen rice krispies treat. the good news, all of these restaurants you can find healthy options. you need to get the venetian apricot chicken. only 400 calories. with a side of vegetables, it's

great. >> let's move to red lobster, i'm going to say b plus red lopster. >> it's an a minus. this is the most improved crustacean award. red lobster used to have an f, four years ago when we started. they now have an a minus. here you have barbequed shrimp and scallops, only 490 calories. here you've got a rainbow trout with broccoli, 410 calories. a lot of low-calorie, high-protein options at red lobster. chick-fil-a, i'm going to give if a b. >> this is the chick-fil-a minus. >> you've been working on that line all day. >> what's great about them, they do not have a single sandwich that goes over 600 calories. here you've got a chicken club with the works. we're talking bacon and cheese and that's only like 400-some calories. here, same thing, you've got the chicken strips, which are better than they are at mcdonald's.

>> but they're breaded. >> but really good, a lot of healthy options. everything kind of tastes like chicken. >> it's chick-fil-a. finally, we have chipotle. they use the white rice, i would think b plus. >> we're on the fence with chipotle. we gave them a c minus. one of the reasons they do a great job with fresh quality ingredients, and free-range meats. but if you give freddie or jason a hand-carved sword, they're still axe murderers. they have huge portions sizes. we have been begging them to reduce their portion sizes. this chicken burrito is over 1,000 calories. it's the equivalent of these 20 bagel bites from ore-ida. they do have healthy options, these crispy tacos, chigen tacos are only 550 calories. >> dave, thank you so much. the author of "eat this, not that." appreciate it.

and still ahead, the uproar over a new line at target. that emptied out the stores and caused the company's website to crash. we'll talk to a target representative to find out when and if you'll be able to get in on these deals. but first, these messages. membership rewards points from american express. the social currency.

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on this thursday morning -- i'm sorry, wednesday morning. let's look at our fak. >> it will feel like summer in september. right now we're off to a mild start. the sun is up in a mostly clear sky, and temperatures now are in the 60s throughout most of the region. now just near 70 in washington and by the bay. and later today, increasing clouds and a passing shower this evening and into tomorrow morning, and then sun back tomorrow afternoon and breezy and turning cooler, and cool weather for friday, saturday and sunday. sundit's about building cars in america.

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good morning. traveling 95 north in virginia, very slow at fairfax county parkway. those delays continue as you head on to 395. 395 all the way to the 14th street bridge, we're jammed. coming up at 4:00, america's got talent hopeful to

we're back now, 8:00 on a wednesday morning, it's the 14th day of september, 2011. we've got a nice day here in new york. it's going up into the mid 80s, but a major change in store a little later in the week. al's going to talk about that. what's in store for you in your neck of the woods as well. i'm matt lauer, along with savannah guthrie. savannah is here, because ann curry is on assignment in iran. coming up in this half hour, we're going to talk about a rare, risky 13-hour surgery that was performed by doctors at a hospital in tennessee to separate conjoined twins. these little boys were born connected at the lower pelvis and lower spine. and this has been a successful operation. their mother will talk to us in an exclusive live interview. that's got to be one very happy

lady. and we're going to talk about missoni madness at target. if you've seen people constantly refreshing their computers over the last couple of days. the designer line has come to the retailer target. it actually shut down the target website, drove people into the stores. the question today is, are they out of merchandise? can you still get in on the deal? we'll talk to a target representative coming up. >> we've got a way to score some of that, right? >> we did. and some of the best-dressed folks on "people"'s best and worst-dressed lists might be wearing missoni. who is looking great and not so great on that list. before we get to that, let's go inside, natalie is back at the news desk after a little time away, good morning. >> good morning, everyone, the bid to free two american hikers imprisoned in iran in spy charges has hit a snag. a day after iran's president told ann curry that shane bauer and josh fattal would be

released within days, now iran's judiciary said it is still reviewing the case and that the reduce is quote not imminent. republican presidential hopeful, michele bachmann, is under fire for raising fears on this program tuesday. bachmann suggested a vaccine required for adolescent girls in texas can lead to mental retardation. medical experts say bachmann's claim was incorrect and irresponsible. and that the hpv vaccine fights a virus linked to cancer. even conservative commentator rush limbaugh said she went too far. congress holds a hearing today on a solar energy company, championed by the president, that went bust, potentially costing taxpayers a half billion dollars. nbc's senior investigative correspondent, lisa myers has more from washington. lisa, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, natalie. this company had been heralded as a success story of the stimulus program. so by any measure, its collapse is an embarrassment to the white house. today, new information suggests that the obama administration committed taxpayer money,

despite repeated red flags about the company's viability. with great fanfare, the president himself visited the company, known as solindra, last year. >> it's here that companies like this are leading the way toward a brighter and more prosperous future. >> reporter: in 2009, the company received $535 million in federal loan guarantees to expand production of cutting-edge solar panels. part of the president's promise to create millions of so-called green jobs. last month, solyndra declared bankruptcy, laying off all 1100 workers. >> it's really hard times, you know. we all loved working here. >> reporter: the fbi raided company headquarters. investigating whether the government was misled. the company has said it's cooperating. >> the evidence seems to be pretty clear to even the nonlawyer types, that this smelled from the very get-go.

that this was a really bad deal. >> reporter: house republican investigators have unearthed emails reviewed by nbc, which reveal repeated warnings by government staffers about the loan. this deal is not ready for prime time. then days before final approval, a warning that one model showed the project would run out of cash in september of 2011. which it did. another questioned the model the government was using. but said, given the time pressure we are under to sign off on solyndra, we don't have time to change the model. why the rush? the white house appeared to be pushing to meet political deadlines. so the vice president could announce final approval when he spoke at the ground-breaking for the new plant. >> it's important because these jobs are going to be permanent jobs. >> reporter: a key question -- were solyndra's political connections a big factor. he has denied that the company was discussed.

a white house spokesman sass no political influence was involved here. that this was a worthy investment in a company many saw as promising. and he said, just because results were disappointing, we can't stop investing in new technologies critical in a global economy. natalie? >> lisa myers in washington, thank you. now for a look at what's trending today, our quick round-up of what has you talking online. target's website has crashed under the crush of demand for its new missoni fashion and housewares line. the designer goods were snapped up from target pop-up stores hours after they debuted, we'll have more on the missoni madness coming up. and reece witherspoon's fans are googling this picture of the star's face, she was banged up while hit by a car last week while jogging. she has a black eye, attending a birthday party. and pop idol justin bieber is online after he said he wears

women's jeans, he said they fit better and what works, works. let's go bac let's go back outside to al with a check of the weather. >> i wear mom jeans, don't you? yeah, come on. if they work, they work. let's go with it. you're a mom. there you go. nothing wrong with mom jeans. let's check out and see what is happening today. sioux city, news channel 4. 58 degrees. as we look ahead for today, we have showers up through northern new england and hit and miss thunderstorms, and heat in texas and they will get a cool-down. and upper 60s through the pacific northwest, and tomorrow we have rain in the northeast and mid-atlantic states, and mild in the central northwest, and then that's what is going on around the country, and here's what is happening in your neck of the woods. >> another delightful september

morning. it's mild right now in the 60s to near 70s. 70 now at reagan national. later today climb into the 80s and looking like summertime in september. we will have increasing high clouds, though. ahead of the cool front might be thunder showers this evening. sun is back tomorrow afternoon, and a gusty northwest wind and cooler for friday, that's your latest weather. matt? thanks very much, when we come back, we'll talk about the rush on missoni that caused target's website to crash. we'll tell you what you need to do to get the stuff you want, right after. you a 50% annual b! so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash.

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[ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves. ♪ look at the map. okay. [ male announcer ] in here, friends leave you messages written in the air. that's it right there. [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. back now at 8:10, you've heard of black friday, well it was missoni madness for target on tuesday. the retailer partnered with the a legendary fashion house, to introduce a limited edition of appar apparel, accessories and home goods, and the item line was so popular, it quickly sold out at many stores and caused the company's website to crash. the company's vice president of communication is with us, a i long with "today" and "us weekly" contributor jill martin

and angela kiley. i want to start with you, dusty. did you have any idea that this would be so popular, such that your entire website crashed? >> well, good morning, savannah. i think it's probably safe to say that target is having a missoni for target moment. we actually knew coming into it that there was a tremendous amount of buzz, it was featured in more than 40 magazines over the last month. and the online traffic has been simply incredible. whether it was people tweeting about bicycles or talking about the luggage, everyone wanted a little piece of la dolce vita. >> the question, dusty, is whether you have any stock left. are you going to replenish it? >> what i would say is sha inventories were based on previous designer collections and this was our largest collection to date. so your comparison to black friday is a good one. i think people came in, they shopped early. we had lines outside of our store, starting at the wee hours

and people were logging on. so items will continue to trickle into stores. i would encourage people who are interested in still purchasing missoni for target, to check their target stores early and often. >> dusty. hold on a minute. i want to ask jill martin in new york, how do you explain this phenomenon? target has done these designer lines before. but i can't remember something like this. >> well, it's never been like this. and everyone was buzzing about it. celebrities to everyone in our office. because i think you see this on the red carpet. and everyone knows it when they see it. you see the zig-zag, the colors, the prints. so i think for most, it's unattainable, because it's $600, to $12,000. and then they made most items under $40. so you can get your hands on it, and even people who can afford the real thing, celebrities are tweeting about it. because you just want one piece. >> everybody loves a bargain. angela, i have to ask you, they did a pop-up store in new york. put the merchandise in and i guess you were first in line because you got all this stuff. what was the scene like? >> it was missoni mayhem.

i actually had to wait four hours, a little more than four hours to even get to the front of the line. the line snaked around the whole avenue, other side streets. by the time i got in, the whole second floor was roped off. they ran out of merchandise up there. what few things were left, people were just grabbing, putting into their bags, boxes, whatever they could get their hands on. >> i should point out, that you, angela are wearing a missoni for target item. >> i am. >> jill, you are wearing the real designer high-end line. in terms of quality, jill, what is the difference? because in terms of looks, it's very similar. >> right, i mean natural fiber, synthetic material. obviously better quality dress. however they did not compromise the design. downstairs everyone was saying, which is the real, which is the fake. because when you look at them, i mean they really look fantastic. >> dusty. i have to ask you, i mean you can't be unhappy with all of this good press for target and all the excitement about the line. some people might look at this and say, well, wait a minute. should you have had more in stock? is this basically a publicity

stunt? albeit one that appears to be working? >> well, the response has just really been unprecedented. it's incredible. you mentioned the pop-up store earlier. we actually doubled our inventory for that pop-up store. we hope to be open three days, we shut down in just six hours. so it truly is mayhem. people are really excited about this collection, because i think it's beautiful and it's at a great price. and if you didn't catch it this time, just wait. target always has something great in store. >> all right. dusty, she can't lose that opportunity. all right, jill martin, angela kiley, our producer, and dusty jenkins at target. appreciate it. coming up next, the successful 13-hour surgery to separate conjoined twins in tennessee. we'll talk to their mom exclusively right after this. major medical, boyyyy! [ beatboxing ] ♪ i help pay the doctor ♪ ain't that enough for you? ♪ there are things major medical doesn't do.

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we're back now at 8:17 with the successful separation of a rare set of conjoined twins. 6-month-old jacob and joshua

spates were born connected to the pelvis and lower spine. it took a team of doctors at le bonheur children's hospital in memphis, tennessee, 13 hours to separate them. their mom, adrian spates is with us, exclusively, along with dr. max langham, one of the doctors who performed the complicated surgery. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> adrian, let me start with you, this surgery was performed on august 29th. how are jacob and joshua doing today? >> they're doing well. joshua, he's been moved to the last floor, which is like the recovery floor before he comes home. jacob is still in icu. he has a couple of surgeries this morning. but overall, they're doing well. joshua is feeding, he's laying on his side and back. he's moving. he's interacting with everyone. he's doing well. and jacob is right behind his brother. he's doing well, too. >> you must be so happy about this. dr. langham, there's a term used

to describe these twins. help me out here, is it pygopagus? >> pronounced pyopagus. >> what did they share internally? >> so, they were joined back to back at the pelvis. and their sacrums were joined, along with the lower, very lower part of their g.i. tract. that they had separate heads, chest, hearts. internal organs. and both twins had arms, legs, so they're really two very complete boys. just joined at the bottom. >> what would have been their prognosis for survival, had this surgery not been performed? >> well, unfortunately, jacob has a complex cardiac anomaly. and has hydrocephalus and a couple of other things, and we could not repair his heart

because of the way they are put together. if they had not been separated sometime in the next year or two, they probably would have passed. >> so adrian, let's come back to you and talk about this decision process you have. these boys joined, and clearly, as the doctor just explained, there were incredible challenges facing them if they remained that way. and let's face it, this is a very complicated and risky surgery. so there is a chance they wouldn't make it through the surgery. how did you come to this decision? >> like dr. langham was saying, the boys are totally, they're two different boys. so you know, joshua, he's doing his own thing. and i really wanted him to be free, you know, able to do his own thing. like when i go visit him and feed him. he's like, his own little person. that was really the reason why i wanted to, them to go ahead and do the surgery. i just want them to do their own thing. so that's why i went ahead with

the surgery. of course i was scared, of course i knew that this or that could have happened. but i just prayed and just stayed faithful and just basically i had a lot of people with me. so i think i'm overall happy with the decision that you know, with them being separated, i'm glad i made that decision. >> doctor, over the course of these 13 hours of surgery, what was the biggest challenge? >> well, the main part of the operation, the trickiest part of the operation was neurosurgical division of the lower spinal cord. and the pelvis. we had a terrific plastic surgery team design flaps in the incision, so we had good soft tissue coverage of it and we were able to make the boys new bottoms. the neurosurgical part of it is probably the trickiest part. >> and you talked about the fact that there's a heart condition with one of the little boys. the long-term prognosis for both, how would you explain that or describe that? >> well i think joshua is doing

great. and hopefully will be up and going and have a pretty normal lifespan. jacob has hydrocephalus ouellet need to be treated. our surgery team here has high outputs that the treatment for the double outlet right ventricle condition will be successful. >> we'll keep both of them in our thoughts and prayers. congratulations to your team, doctor and adrian, congratulations to you as well. it must be great to hold your children. >> it is, it really is. >> you're welcome. now here's savannah. now let's swing on down to washington and our good friend, mr. willard scott. hey, willard. >> such new things from smucker's check them out on your grocery shelf. happy birthday from smuckers, to our birthday and anniversary buddies. two anniversaries today. anthony hahn, hehn, from

roanoke, virginia, 100 years old today. and still lives independently with his 99-year-old wife. how about that? that's a blessing. that is a blessing. and lloyd reber, of rochester, new york. 105. a retired film producer who has produced hundreds of films over his lifetime and loved in the community. that's the truth. mary ellen robertson of arroyo grande, california, 105 years old today. used to be a teacher. she loves to travel. all over the world. lot of people just do that after they retire. naomi, what a beautiful name. naomi frost, kansas city, missouri, 104 years old today. enjoys cooking, and loves to try out new recipes. that's an adventuresome cook.

bill and marie burden, of mount pleasant, michigan, 77 years they've been married. also it's bill's birthday. they still live in the same house that they started out in and they are crazy about each other. and we have lonnie and jesse mabrey of cookeville, tennessee. 80 years they have been married. and they live independently and both attribute their longevity to just plain loving each other. that's it, that's all. now, back to the big apple. >> willard, thanks. >> thanks, willard. >> we've got a couple of big and interesting interviews over the next couple of days. tomorrow on "today" we'll have an exclusive interview with siena miller, her first about being a victim of the phone-hacking scandal in britain. she talks very candidly about the toll she says it has taken on her life, her friendships and her career. and on friday, we've got charlie sheen, speaking out about the episode in his life

that ended with him losing his job on one of the most successful sitcoms in television. matt sat down with him. we'll have that interview on friday. >> you get the sense after talking to charlie, that he has some regrets. there's no question about it. he even comes right out and says that when he was going through the heart of the feud with the sitcom, he thought they couldn't go on without him. that there's no way they could continue without him. and clearly, he knows that not to be the case right now. so we'll hear from him and siena miller tomorrow. just ahead, the best and worst-dressed celebrities in hollywood. but first, your local news and a check of your local weather.

check of your local weather. 8:26 is your time now on this wednesday, september 14th, 2011. let's go to our meteorologist, tom kierein, for a look at the forecast. another nice day, tom. >> 60s near 70 and during the afternoon, we will peak in the mid-80s by the afternoon. maybe some thunder showers on this evening, and then a gusty northwest wind will bring in cooler wednesday on friday and saturday. and then warming up a bit as we

good morning. big delays, jammed from college park to georgia avenue. and i-66 to the 395 interchange it's slow. and on 395 slow from duke to the 14th street bridge. coming up, an

we are back now, 8:30 on a wednesday morning. 14th day of september, 2011. take a look at some of the nice people who have stopped by to say hi to us this morning. here on rockefeller plaza. from perth, australia and from hoboken, new jersey. all over the globe. that's right. >> alaska! >> i'm matt lauer, on the plaza, along with savannah guthrie. while ann is on assignment. al roker is here as well. natalie is back from brazil. the gang is almost all back. anyway, coming up in this half hour. you actually sit down with roger ebert. >> i think a lot of people know

he's been a film critic for over 40 years, he's a remarkable person, he's just battled thyroid cancer, lost his jaw and his ability to speak and he's become a very outspoken, as well on the blog. so we'll try catching up with him and see how he's doing now. and he also had some controversy because recently, he tweeted following the death of "jackass" star as well. and "people" is out with its annual best and worst-dressed list. who made the cut. one guess, that's the best-dressed right there. beautiful. beautiful there. >> we'll show the worst, too. and later on in our kitchen -- two words -- butter and bacon. oh, yeah, chef eric repare will. and it will be, butter and bacon, and get the defibrillator ready. >> before we get to that, let's bring in the very funny will aur net. back on frim time.

will, nice to see you. >> very nice to be here. >> you made it for the convention. >> and you have what it's like for older people to see if they can see the fun and romance after the kids are out? >> very well said. not that much older, let's emphasize that. >> sure. >> some people are young. >> yeah, you know, i think it's about people who enjoyed an ne extended adolescence. >> you have two little ones at home. who actually changes the home in your household? >> well, boy, this is live, right? >> yeah. >> i would say that i am more of a support crew, but i am there and i do -- i have changed many diapers. >> you hand her the wipes, is

that what you do? >> very good at that. >> or you have the remote control, and you say, sweetie, you are doing great. >> that's support, right? no, i am hands on. i have two young guys under three, and the transition from the home life to work life is pretty seamless. >> you have a terrific cast. christina applegate, and three of the funniest people working on tv today. >> i don't know who the third one is that. i would say, yeah, christina and myer are so funny and amazing every day. both of them are great at what they do. i just show up. >> do you more than that. we're looking forward to it. "up all night" premiers tonight. next week you can catch it on wednesday, 8:00, 7:00 central time. is that confusing or did i get that right?

>> no, you got it right. >> mr. roker. >> hey, that's what is going on around the country and here's what is happening in your neck of the woods. >> clear sky and hazy sunshine now. temperatures are climb into the upper 60s to near 70, and will continue to climb. it will feel like september this afternoon and into the 80s. and we will have a passing shower or thunder shower this evening, and maybe a lingering shower through midday on thursday, and then cooler on thursday afternoon, and 40s by friday morning. friday and don't forget, get your weather any time of the day or night, or on the weather channel or weather.com. this handsome man you're standing next to me. four time emmy winner, mr. hank azaria, one of the stars of the new nbc show, "free agents." nice to see you. >> nice to be seen early in the morning. >> this is a show based on a bbc comedy of the same name. and you're a newly-divorced guy

who still cries when he thinks about what's been going on. and you're trying to get through life. >> exactly right. he's a very sad man. he's just left his marriage and he's trying to start over again. he's hooked up with someone at work. which probably wasn't the smartest idea. and he doesn't realize he's crying. he's crying so much that it has to be pointed out to him. >> and one of the hold-overs from the bbc version is your boss. who in the bbc version is brutal. did they temper his role a little bit? >> we had to, he curses at such a high rate that only cable could embrace that level of foul-mouthedry. >> foul-mouthedry? >> yeah, it's a noun. but he use as lot of double entendre. he will often rate himself. figure out weird ways to say sexual things. >> we're looking forward to it. hank azaria, thanks so much, good seeing you. don't forget to catch the

premiere of "free agents." >> did you memorize all that? >> no, i had it written down. >> i know it, but i have to know it. >> and thanks so much. savannah? thanks. and coming up next, roger ebert opens up to natalie about his battle with thyroid cancer and his relationship with gene siskel. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:38 with a personal look at the life of one of the best-known film critics of our time. roger ebert is out with a new autobiography and natalie sat down with him recently. >> good morning to you, matt. roger ebert's battle with thyroid cancer left him without his jaw and the ability to speak and eat. but he has not lost his voice as america's most beloved and prominent film critic and now blogger. in fact he's busier than ever with a new memoir called "life

itself." >> at that moment i was thinking i don't like it. >> they were the famed duo that gave us the trademarked, thumb's up or thumb's down at "at the movies." >> initially, roger ebert and gene siskel were film critics. they were stars, their routine became legendary. >> we have to review the character on the screen, gene, not your theories about what these guys are like. >> but it came to a saddened when gene siskel died of cancer in 1999. three years later, ebert was diagnosed with thyroid and salivary gland cancer. the disease took his lower jaw and his ability to speak, eat and drink. >> top on my list is "citizen cane." now he speaks through alex, his computer-generated voice. we sat down to talk about his new memoir, "life itself." >> you did not know at the time

that you had thyroid cancer, that you would never be able to speak again. as you began to realize that, what went through your mind? >> there was never a time when anyone told me i would never speak again. naturally, i felt awful. but i had to accept reality. >> a reality that included a new voice. and when ebert blogs, over 100 million people are reading. no surprise, last year, he was awarded a webby for person of the year. >> the conversations that you have with your readers online, writing your blogs, how much is that like sitting down at the dinner table with you, roger ebert? >> with facebook, twitter and the comments on my blog, i feel i'm involved in an actual conversation with me, the social media really are social. >> but his bluntness online took some heat this summer, after "jackass" star, ryan dunn's deadly crash. dunn had posted this photo of

himself drinking before the accident. ebert tweeted -- friends don't let jackasses drink and drive. he later explained in his blog, i was probably too quick to tweet. but recently told us, the tweet was the truth. for ebert, honesty is the best policy. even when it's about his own appearance. >> you say the best thing that happened to you was when they showed a full-page photo of what you look like now in "esquire" magazine. why is that? >> well, this is what i look like, so there's no purpose in hiding it. what you see is what you get. >> your memories growing up are so descriptive about having root beers and frosty mugs with your father. >> i find that when i am actually writing, memories appear in my mind. >> vivid childhood memories, he writes i was born inside the movie of my life. he describes a good life.

eating steakburgers at the steak and shake and chuckles candies at the movies. a childhood as american as a normal rockwell painting. >> i was always extroverted. now i am forced to live more within my mind. >> a beautiful day. >> ebert credits his wife of 20 years for encouraging him to keep going. he writes, she was like a wind pushing me back from the grave. >> chaz is a force of nature. when she decides on something, her determination is awesome. she knew i could still work as a film critic and she was right. she has done a great deal to make that possible. >> ebert still travels to film festivals, attends at least five screenings a week, and with his wife, chaz, produces "ebert presents at the movies." >> gene siskel, who you spent 23 years with, you two had a little bit of that love/hate relationship. >> it's thiler week on "siskel and ebert week at the movies."

>> you said if you had a sitcom it would be called "best enemies." he really was like a brother to you. if he were alive today, what woe say to you now? >> he would have been wholehearted in my corner through the troubles. although as a way of life we shared a deep understanding of one another. he would also have continued to make jokes about me. well, at least you don't need a bookmark any more to find your chin. >> well, we saw roger walking in and they said, one of everything to go. >> you once asked your doctor to put coca-cola through your g-tube. why? >> i still have cokes once in a while. i like a caffeine. >> these guys, right? this is eventage. >> while ebert may be robbed of his ability to eat and drink, he still enjoys some guilty pleasures. two thumbs up. there's a beautiful passage in the book, really talks about how roger looks at life and ha he's

been through. can you read that for me? >> we must try to contribute joy to the world. that is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. we must try. i didn't always know this, and i'm happy i lived long enough to find it out. >> i feel i'm lucky that i can still do what i love, and be of some use to people. it's a waste of time feeling sorry for yourself. because it doesn't change anything or help anything. you just have to keep on keeping on. >> and matt, one thing that roger ebert told me is that a lot of people say he's courageous for continuing to do and be busier than ever. but in fact, he says, that's not the case. because he continues to be the same person. he's just doing what he always did. don't call him courageous. >> a remarkable guy. >> he really is. so vibrant. thank you for that. up next on today's style, "people"'s best and worst-dressed list.

first, this is "today" on nbc. [ cherie ] i wanted to make a difference in my community.

[ kimberly ] the university gave me the knowledge to make a difference in people's lives. [ carrie ] you're studying how to be an effective leader. [ cherie ] you're dealing with professionals, teaching things that they were doing every day. [ kimberly ] i manage a network of over a thousand nurses. [ carrie ] i helped turn an at-risk school into an award-winning school. [ cherie ] i'm responsible for the largest urban renewal project in utah. [ kimberly ] and university of phoenix made it possible.

learn more at phoenix.edu. back now at 8:47, this morning on today's style, which celebrities rule the red carpet this year and who were the fashion flops? "people" magazine's best and worst-dressed issue hits the newsstands on friday. always a popular one. "people" style and beauty editor is here with us. there's a science to this. how do you determine who makes the best-dressed list and who lands on the worst-dressed list? >> it's a process. we get hundreds of pictures a day of celebrities looking fantastic and looking otherwise. we sort them, put them aside. months go by and suddenly you've got files of great-looking and not so great-looking celebrities. >> and it's not just one picture. >> we're talking about consistency here, yeah, definitely. >> let's talk about someone who made the best-dressed list and who is consistently gorgeous.

except for maybe gorgeous all the time and that's jennifer hudson. >> we're so excited about her here. we love what's going on now, she is just embracing these body-hugging silhouettes, she looks fantastic. she was a size 16 in 2010. she's a size six now and she's enjoying dressing. you can tell. she just looks wonderful. >> another all-star has got to be jennifer aniston who seems to know what works on her and she always looks perfect. >> she's the minimalist of the and she sticks to black, not a lot of things, not a lot of jewelry. she always looks just right. >> jessica alba is one you have on the list, this year was different, she was pregnant for most of the year and we saw her in maternity wear. >> she was our maternity clotheshorse. we love that she really didn't change. she wore the same things, leopard print and leather, animal print. she looked fantastic. >> do you put a premium on those who take risks in terms of their fashion? >> absolutely.

i mean blake lively is our risk-taker and she pushes the envelope with her runway designs. >> let's talk about best-dressed couples. some might be surprised to see who landed on your list. katie perry and russell brand. >> we celebrate red-carpet royalty and you want to get the edginess, and i feel like they do that so well together. >> we've got a couple, a pair on the worst-dressed list. that probably won't surprise too many. we've got snooki and david arquette. why? >> snooki -- well, the eyewear, the fuzzy boots, the statement t's, it's all sort of a mishmosh. >> and you put cynthia nixon on, we probably just caught her on a bad day. >> and two of our very own made your chic at any age, ann curry and kathie lee gifford. >> they look so fresh in their vibrant colors. >> thank you so much.

coming up next, a simple sauce with bacon to dress up your next fish dinner. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on today's kitchen, step by step, bacon butter sauce, all you need is a little bit of the flavor to turn a common striped bass into a really special dish. eric repair is the chef and owner of the newly-renovated

lebe lebernadain restaurant. this is pretty easy. >> it's very easy and also it's fairly inexpensive when you think about it. cabbage is a common vegetable that comes in the fall. fairly inexpensive, it's delicious. >> you're using several different parts of the cabbage. the big leaves and the center part. >> exactly. you need to remove the outside leaves because they are a bit bitter and you keep some of them like the big ones, that will be blanched. when you go inside the cabbage. you take more leaves and then you can slice them and slice them like that it's very simple. you just with a nice, do a nice julienne. and that will be blanched. >> when you say blanche, how long do you actually put the cabbage in there before overcooking it? >> so blanche means putting it in boiling water, salted water for four or five minutes, until it becomes very tender, like this one, for instance. >> and then i'm putting the fish

in the big leaf that i have in the beginning that has been blanched. we put it, we do a little package like that. >> are you seasoning the fish at all before you put it in there? >> you add the salt and pepper before. >> that will go in the oven? >> that will go in the oven so the cabbage doesn't get dry. it goes into the oven for 12 minutes. with a little bit of water like that. i have some bacon that is cooking and is getting crispy. you see in the pan -- you have all the bacon carmelizing, that will give the flavor to my sauce. now removing the bacon that is crunchy. and removing the fat. but -- >> but not scraping the fan too much. >> exactly. a little bit of chicken juice. a bit of white wine. like that. and then you emulsify it with a bit of butter. >> is there any way to mess this part up?

i mean you're making it look easy. >> the liquid has to be hot, boiling and the butter has to be cold. and then it emulsifies together. you have some blanche cabbage that i have sliced before. some of the sauce goes on top of it like that. >> is it really that quick? >> like that. some of the sauce is here. i put some bacon back in the cabbage. then the fish is cooked. we are going to take the cabbage and put it in a ring mold. just for presentation, i mean if you don't have a ring mold, it's not a big deal. we just go like that. >> you could use an old cat food can? >> your cats are big. my cat, i have a small cat. >> right. >> the fish goes on top like that. >> and that only cooked for 12 minutes. what temperature? >> 400 degrees. >> and the remaining of the sauce like that, you see. we're going to pour it on top. just a little bit. and you have all the flavor of

the bacon, without the fat. >> did you garnish that with a little extra bacon. >> look at that. a little bit of bacon on top. and -- >> again, i'm not insulting you, but when i read this, i thought this really is easy and the entire thing would take 15 minutes, start to finish. >> hello, how are you. >> you would like to serve it to natalie and al and you serve it with tomatoes? >> they still are in season in the fall. and the tiny potatoes are also in season. they've just got harvested a few weeks ago, actually. >> and they're very cute. >> and delicious, too. >> this looks fantastic. eric repair, good to see you. and we're going to get you through fall allergy season in just a moment. but first, this is "today." we're going to get you through fall allergy season in a mow many.

we are following breaking news right now at 8:56. police are investigating a deadly shooting in laurel. let's go to trisy wilkins. >> the body of the woman shot and killed in the parking lot is lying over there in the grass by the fence where the officer is standing. looks like now they are about to place the sheet over the woman. she appears to be an adult female, possibly in her 20s or 30s. it looks like she was getting into that vehicle when she was shot. we have not confirmed from police here in laurel that she was shot in the head and killed here in the parking lot. we don't have any suspect information at this time. the victim has not been identified. identified. the neighbors tell me they heard man: my employer had been putting together a program for executive education, grooming the leadership abilities of their top 5%.

a requirement to be accepted in the program was an undergraduate degree, which i did not have. that was the wake-up call i needed. ♪ don't want to miss a thing strayer university has afforded me the opportunity to progress to the level that i am now, which is chief information officer at the largest teaching hospital in southern new jersey. i'm michael sinno, and i earned my bachelor of science degree from strayer university. the biggest iced coffee i can get. iced coffee helps me keep up. i love iced coffee. drinkin' dunkin'. i'm drinkin' dunkin'. drinkin' dunkin'. dunkin'... iced coffee. i run on dunkin' iced coffee. america runs on dunkin' coffee. in one day, i could have three auditions. and, it's really important that you go in looking like the role. i go straight to t.j.maxx. i find what i'm looking for. done. it's amazing to find so many gorgeous designer clothes. i'm like dut, dut, dut... yes, yes, yes. and, it also works with my somewhat unpredictable paycheck. fashion direct from designers. savings direct to you. this fashionista... is a one-to-watch maxxinista.

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good morning. traveling 270 in maryland, slow from the shade yoe grove down

quitquit. we're back with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, 14th day of september, 2011. and it's a nice day here in the northeast, as we find our place in rockefeller plaza. i'm matt lauer, along with savannah guthrie and al roker. ann is on assignment in tehran. covering a story that seems to get more complicated as opposed to simpler every day, we're talking about the jailed american hikers who have been there now for more than two years. just a couple of days ago, the president of iran, mahmoud ahmadinejad, told ann, those hikers would be released in a matter of days. well, overnight the judiciary in iran, which is very powerful and independent from the president's office said, not so fast. we're still reviewing the case. so we're going to get the latest on that coming up. >> and later on, in today's money 911, if you're part of the

sandwich generation, you're putting kids through school, got aging parents. what do you do? how do you make sure everybody is taken care of? plus we'll also have advice on whether it's a good idea to pay off your mortgage early. that's coming up on today's money 911. also ahead, do you detect something special in the air? >> it's the bacon i just ate, i'm sorry. it's ragweed, mold and dust mites, it's allergy season. we'll have advice on how to get you through it and grab the purell. >> we to get those people sneezing into their sleeves. let's go inside, natalie morales standing by at the news desk with a check of the headlines. good morning, everyone. an apparent hurdle in how quickly freedom may come for those two american hikers convicted of spying in iran. amid a power play between iran's president and the country's judiciary. today the judiciary is not denying that shane bauer and josh fattal will be freed. but they are not using the word

"imminent." ann curry is in tehran with the latest. ann, good morning. >> natalie, good morning. despite what iran's judiciary said today, sources within the government tell nbc news that the two american hikers are still expected to be released in a matter of days. this, as we are learning surprising new details about the behind-the-scenes negotiations that led to this moment. it was iraq's president tan banni who personally negotiated the release when he was in iran last week. the iraqi embassy in iran tells nbc news. a spokesman telling us it was the families of shane bauer and josh fattal that requested the president of iraq get involved. the families got their first word that a deal was being made, when they were told about president ahmadinejad's comments in our interview on "today." the families saying in a written statement, they are overjoyed, shane and josh's freedom means more to us than anything. and it's a huge relief to read

that they are going to be released. >> many americans want to know how it could be that iran could sentence the two young hikers, josh fattal and shane bauer, to eight years in prison for spying. what is the evidence against them? at first, that question drew a tough answer from iran's president. >> translator: all countries have laws for illegal border crossing. they have very tough laws. we have the same laws here in our country. >> then came the surprise. >> translator: we are also trying do make arrangements for their freedom. for the freedom of the other two. i think these two persons will be freed in a couple of days. >> in a couple of days? >> translator: in couple of days. they will be freed. >> within hours after the president uttered these words,

bail was set for the two young americans at half a million dollars each. bauer and fattal, convicted by iran last month, of illegally entering the country and spying for america, have already spent 775 days in prison. the question now is, what condition are they in? >> translator: these two people are having a very good condition here in prison. it's like staying in a hotel. >> and unusual description of conditions inside the iran's notorious evin prison. bauer's fiancee, sara shourd was taken into custody with them in 2009. she was released a year ago, her bail, half a million dar dollars, paid by an unknown party. news of the impending release is on the front page of all the newspapers in iran. some of the newspapers are calling these hikers spies and asking why would iran release them now. natalie, back to you. >> ann curry in tay ron, continuing to follow the story

there. political shock waves this morning in new york, where republican bob turner on tuesday won the house seat that was vacated by democrat, anthony weiner. that seattle had been in the hands for democrats for almost a century. turner is a retired media executive and a political newcomer. analysts say voter frustration over the economy played a key role in the upset win. one day after promoting his almost $450 million jobs flan in ohio, president obama looks for support again for the plan in north carolina. he said the white house would benefit from the president's proposals. and the tsa is changing the way that children are screened at airport security checkpoints after complaints about pat-downs. the new policy focuses on ways other than pat-downs to screen children 12 and under. the children will no longer have to take their shoes off as well to get through security. and in los angeles, small steps forward for two giant sea otter pups born two months ago, they're being raised by

caretakers of the los angeles zoo, and they'll be bottle-fed for another three to four months. and are learning how to swim in a kiddie pool. it's six minutes past the hour. let's turn it back to al with a check of the weather. >> a to al with a check of your weather. >> that's a pretty high aww factor. >> we have showers and thunderstorms moving through the mid mississippi river valley. temperatures will be in the 80s throughout much of the northeast and then we have a front moving through. the cool weather you see back through the plains and the upper mississippi river area, we have a gorgeous day in the pacific northwest. seattle will see sunshine and a high of 67 degrees. cooler in l.a. and 77. that's what is going on around your country, and here is what is happening in your neck of the woods. >> i am tom kierein. a sunny and mild september morning. in the upper 60s to low and

mid-70s. and quite a bit of sunshine, and then clouding up late in the afternoon and overnight tonight. and a passing shower in the mountains. and then in the metro area this now time for today's money 911. we have experts to answer some of your financial experts. our panel this morning, "today" financial editor, jean chatzky. and david bach is back, author of "debt-free for life." and sharon epperson, a personal finance correspondent, she doesn't have a finger move, but she's also on cnbc and cnbc.com. good to see you guys. >> nice to see you. had let's start off with skype. we'll go to fort worth, texas. katherine is on the line. good morning. >> good morning. >> what's your question? >> i'm a college student, financially supported by my parents. my father at 65, being the

financial provider for the family, recently he supported me in college as well as both my grandmothers and assisted living. also, in order to cover the responsibilities, he's taken out several loans, taken money out of his 401(k) and extended retirement. what can we do in order to turn our situation around? >> that's a tough situation. >> it is. >> so many people in the sandwich generation right now. let me just say, i think it's really nice, katherine, that you're thinking about your dad in this way, it's nice that you're asking this question. you're still in college, correct? >> yes. >> what you can do is actually take paying for college off of his plate and put it on to yours. there are a lot of student loans out there for college. what we want to see, we always talk about how you have to put your retirement as a parent ahead of that college tuition, even though it feels lousy. is you want to see him paying back those 401(k) loans, so that he can proceed with his retirement in some sort of you know, fashion.

the bigger problem, quite frankly, is the older parents, because although you can talk to your state about what sort of programs are available, talk to an elder care attorney, it's really difficult for adult children to say no. >> it really is. best of luck, katherine. and now let's go to an email. from kathy, from florida, she writes, i own two homes and a commercial building. if i stop paying the mortgage on the second home, can liens be put on my primary residence or my commercial building or my cash reserve? do you i need to seek any kind of financial protection? i've tried to get a loan modification but have not been successful. p.s., we are self-employed. what do you think? >> it depends. she's in florida, the question i have is did you do your second home loan with the same bank that you did your commercial loan? if you did, it's possible there's a provision in that commercial loan that in fact you will have an issue then with commercial loan. so there's a couple of lessons here for anybody who is watching. if you buy multiple properties. don't necessarily use the same bank.

when you do a commercial loan. make sure you look at the loan provisions, it may have specifically written in the documentation that if you default on another loan that the bank has with you, they can come after the commercial loan and recall it. so it depends. she actually really needs to go look at her loan documentation. specifically in florida, her primary residence should be fine. >> let's go to the phones. we've got somebody calling in from california, judy. good morning, judy. >> good morning. >> what's your question? >> caller: yeah. i was laid off earlier this year, and i'm 62, i decided to take an early retirement. i accidentally got into an interest-only loan in 2005, which is due in 2015. i've tried to refinance with no success. i was wondering before it disappears, whether it would be a good idea or not to withdraw from my 401(k) to pay off the mortgage? >> well, sharon, we never like to say you should withdraw from the 401(k). here's the issue. it seems like you may have enough money to cover the mortgage. but the thing is, you have a 401(k).

have you rolled the 401(k) into an ira? >> yes. >> is that a remember ira or a roth ira? >> caller: i believe it's a regular one. >> you'll have to pay taxes on it when you take it out. you may not have the full amount to pay off that mortgage after taxes. that's a big issue. also in retirement, you need to have at least a year's worth of cash on hand. so what i would say, the great thing that you're doing is already making those extra mortgage payments. continue to pay down the principal in that way. but keep your liquidity, keep the cash on hand. that is most important to you right now. and you seem to be able to keep up with the payments right now. continue to pay a little bit extra and hopefully you'll be able to pay it off by 2015. >> caller: okay. thank you. >> let's go to skype again. we've got a viewer from san diego, california. anthony, how are you this morning? >> good how you guys doing? >> we're doing great. what's your question? >> i'm a navy diver in san diego and my wife's a nurse. a year ago when we moved here, we bought a place for $260,000. well the units in the area are selling for around $214.

and we're wondering, when i leave here in about a year, should we sell at the price or should we rent, knowing we're going to have to get a property management company and not cover our hoa fees and the full mortgage. >> here's the thing, we don't buy, if we're not going to be there, for five years. and clearly, you knew that going in. so that's just a warning to everybody else. i would really look at the rental market where you live, rentals are pretty strong right now. you may be able to cover more than you think. >> also, san diego just absolutely gorgeous. ultimately the prices will come back up in san diego. maybe not a year, long-term, san diego, epic place to live. >> hold onto it and then retire. >> thank you so much, jean chatzky, david bach, sharon epperson. we'll be answering more of your money questions on today.com starting at 9:30. coming up, casey anthony's

parents break their silence about her lies, was a medical condition to blame about her erratic behavior? coming up, the best way to treat and prevent seasonal allergies after these messages. ♪ ♪ thank you! ♪ phew! [ ernie ] we make our cookies the way only keebler elves can: with a little something extra. so every bite can be uncommonly good.

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yep...doh. [ boy ] slurpably fun and a good source of calcium. dads who get it, get go-gurt. today's health is brought to you by honey nut cheerios. be happy, be healthy. this morning on today's health, an allergy survival guide. allergies affect at least 12 million americans who suffer from itchy, watery eyes, sneezing and sore throats. how can you find relief? "health" contributor and editor dr. rajini raz.

a lot of people suffer from allergies, but it seems that more and more people suffer are them and the symptoms are much more severe. why is that in. >> this season is going to be one of the worst seasons we've had yet. for a couple of reasons, we've had a very wet summer, which increases ragweed pollen. and we have a lot of stagnant water, so mold is going to overgrow in the outdoors and that can really trigger aller allergies in a lot of people. and with global warming we won't have the winter frost as soon as we usually do. so it will be a longer season and more severe, unfortunately. >> so more of us are going to be suffering through. let's help us with some important tips. first make sure you start off with the right allergy medication. how do you know what's going to work well for you? >> we have some great over-the-counter options in terms of antihistamines. when you have allergies you have release of a chemical that causes histamine. this causes the itchy, watery eyes, the runny, itchy nose, we

used to have very sedating medications but now we don't have that problem. a great opportunity to use these and you can get a prescription strength of this. >> because if over-the-counter is not working, you have to go prescription. >> first you should see an allergist. you might not sure what you have. it could be a signus infection. we have nasal steroid sprays. steroids depress our immune system. in that situation, that's a good thing. a nasal spray, you can get -- you can get drops, inflammation in your nose, you can get drops for your eyes as well to help that kind of inflammation it can relieve a lot of your symptoms. if that doesn't work, there's an omgs for what we call immunotherapy or shots that can help you build up a tolerance to something like ragweed. >> okay. and then the other thing is air tends to usually trigger those reactions. right. >> you say one of the things to do is to help clear the air. >> right, you want to get rid of

the mold and the ragweed pollen that's in the air. one thing that you can do for mold in particular is get a dehumidifier. we have an example, in the moist areas of your house, you don't want them to be too humid, because mold loves humidity. bathrooms, get a humidifier. and gep a hepa filter to filter out the ragweed pollen as well. can you put it on your air conditioner, vacuum cleaner. >> do make sure you're changing the filters. otherwise you're going to have the problem all over again. >> another thing a lot of people think is when they're inside, they're safe. but that's not always the case, because you're bringing stuff from the outside in. what should you do? >> you don't want to track in all of those things into your house. take out your outdoor clothes in your hallway. don't bring them into your bedroom. because you're going to be sleeping there and exposed to those clothes all night. frequently washing your sheets. can you get the allergy-proof mattress covers, pillow covers. washing your hair before you go to sleep that can help you from

preventing prolonged exposure. >> let's move on to supplements, you say taking supplements is something to consider, that can help with some of the symptoms. what's the relationship between supplements and allergies. >> this isn't like a quick fix, take a vitamin d. but there have been studies that show that vitamin d deficiency increases your risk of developing allergies, particularly in children. we know that vitamin d is important, anyway. one more thing it helps is preventing developing allergies. 600 unit a day is enough for most people. >> and speaking of supplements, also supplementing your meals with healthful foods is going to be good for you as well. >> the mediterranean diet, which we always talk about. i'm never going to say it's a bad thingth and once again, it's a good thing. >> it helps with the cure. >> some studies have shown again in children, that it helps prevent allergy formation. so really important for kids especially do get the fruits and vegetables every day. it may help them long-term in preventing allergies.

>> lean proteins, legumes. doctor, thank you so much. still to come, cutting calories at the movie theaters. which items are best for smart snacking after these messages. popcorn, candy? what? that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. that's yours. lower cholesterol. lower cholesterol. i'm yummy. lower cholesterol. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste? honey nut cheerios. want whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. it's a win win. good? [ crunching, sipping ] be happy. be healthy. can i try yours? ♪ be happy. be healthy. the best part about the toys in the martha stewart pets collection isn't the unique features that keep him engaged. or the adorable hand crocheting. or the cute sounds for hours of play. it's knowing that they provide all the fun... ...he can possibly handle.

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weather. we are following breaking news at 9:26. good morning. i am eun yang. detectives tell us a woman was found around 8:00 this morning. another body found a few blocks from her on cherry

next. stay with us. good morning. right now sunny and in the 70s. later today in the mid-80s, we will have showers and thunder showers late afternoon, and then clearing out tomorrow afternoon and turning cooler on a blustery northwest wind. cooler for friday and saturday. 40s in the morning and afternoon highs in the 60s. monday and tuesday, highs in the 70s. and a live look right now at the 14th street bridge. delays start on 395 as you head up to the 14th street bridge. outer loop of the beltway crossing the american legion bridge, slow here as you make your way across. the key bridge heading into the

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work it, girl. >> work it, girl. work it out. >> savannah guthrie getting supermodel ready, at the marchesa fashion show. >> wow, look at you. >> oh, no. >> you're getting the full deal. we're going to bring you some of the savannah's model moments friday on "today." you know, you could get a tip from natalie on how to move. >> it was great. thanks, al, you had to bring that up again. >> don't twirl if you have a dress that goes up. >> wait a minute. we'll show that friday. and yes, holy hair extensions. that hair extension is sitting on my bathroom counter right now. >> you've got the height for it. >> that's about it. i was like tripping down the runway. it was fun. >> you look amazing. we'll show that on friday. meantime, if you want to

look like a supermodel, you may want to stay away from all the buttered popcorn, soda and candy. it's no fun to be a model. but we'll have some strategies for smart snacking. madelyn is here to tell us how we can cut down on the calories. >> don't take the popcorn away. >> you have to get the 55-gallon drum of popcorn. >> and split is among like 12 people. >> and if you have $1, you can get a refill. on a more serious note, casey anthony's parents are speaking out for first refill. >> casey anthony's parents are speaking out for the first time since the verdict in the daughter's trial. she sat down with dr. phil. >> let's take a look at the weekend and show you what we're expecting. showers along the southeastern atlantic coast, and rain through the central plains and as we move into sunday, sunday, sunny skies continuing in the east, and more rain along the southeast coast. the mississippi river valley

will be wet. hot weather continue from west texas into the southwest. here is what is happening in your neck of the woods. >> right now we are in the 70s. later today into the 80s. we will have increasing clouds this afternoon. could have showers and thunderstorms in the mountains. in the metro area, perhaps tonight through midday on thursday occasionally, and then we clear out down into the 40s on friday and saturday mornings with afternoon highs in the 60s. sunday, coming up, how to make smart snack choices the next time you go to the movies. right after this. wow! the best in the world. ...some chocolates swiss! ah...the best in the world. oikos greek yogurt from dannon. really? wait until you try it. so creamy thick and fresh tasting

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this morning on eat smart today, snacking strategies at the movies. the smell of buttered popcorn can lure even the healthiest among us. but you don't have to give up your favorite treats when you take in a film. today's diet and nutrition editor says all it takes is a little planning and some smarter choices. madelyn, good morning to you. the first thing you say is preplan, before you even get to the temptation zone. what do you mean by that. >> there's no reason to eat at the movies, but we all like to do it. be smart about it. don't be starving when you go. have something to seat before you go, so you have better control. and if you want something for your mouth, you don't want food, take in some sugarless gum or mints. and have in mind that you're going to have something to eat, but make a better choice. >> we know you're not supposed to bring the snacks into the theater. you're faced with the choices you have. we all love popcorn, it's part

of the experience, what do you suggest? >> popcorn is a total must-have. the problem with popcorn it's pen ins to go from the teeniest size to a giant one. you can buy the biggest size, skip the butter and divide it into four containers. this is a small, bring some bags with you and plus it's a little more sanitary. everybody is not diving into it. >> nobody likes to be the guy holding the tub and everybody is bothering you. >> you eat the poppopcorn, you' going to be thirsty. what do you drink? >> this is a pretty small soda for 300 calories. get some water, you can get some sachets and this little package is called mio, you can have variety in low-calorie lemonade and not all the sugar. if you want something, get an icy, that has half the calories of soda. >> that's fewer calories? >> half the calories of the

medium soda. and sodas are gargantuan, 1,000 calories in a big one. >> a lot of us have to have our sweets, how can we get on the straight and narrow when it comes to that in. >> the problem with candy is it comes in a lot of different sizes. a lot of the things i'm going to talk about are eating half of the container. one thing you can have are the little fruit chew wiies, things like raisinettes, snow caps, things that people really like. this is half the serving. when you look at what you have, half is still a lot. so -- >> you're saying eat half the box? >> eat half the box. >> and then you'll be okay? >> you'll be okay. but you want to watch out for half the servings of some of the other things that are bigger bags to start with. things like reese's pieces.

>> we want to downsize, this we want to share with three people, unless you want the calories. >> one smart strategy is to just engage in the kids meal here. >> people like this. a little popcorn, a little candy. you can have some water or a low-calorie drink. i don't know why they call it a kids meal. it is a smart choice for everybody. a little bit of everything. our eyes kind of fool us into thinking, would this be a enough for you? >> i think it would be. if i already had lunch. >> this whole thing is 300 calories. >> yes. something newer that at least one movie chain, amc is doing, they're saying, let's have healthier things. health food halo. three things, trail mix, pop chips. >> and it's almost 500 calories, it's about 450. you're going, that's a lot. >> what do they have in these kinds of healthy things? >> it's going to be baked chips. it's going to be some trail mix, you have a water, some fruit chips. it's not bad for you, if you want to get a kids meal, you'll have fewer calories.

>> let's say everyone ignores your device and they come to the theater and they're hungry and they want a meal. we've got the hotdog, the pretzel, the nachos. >> here is a case when a hot dog is a great choice. just short of 300 calories, you'll get something substantial to eat. you're not going to the movies for a nutritional meal. >> i never thought i would live to see the day when you would recommend a hotdog. >> the big pretzel if you like it, nix the cheese and use the mustnd. but skip the nachos. it's half your day's calories for most people. think what you want before you go. it's comfort eating, we like it. you're not going to make a highly nutritional choice, so think about the calories and downsizing, but pick something you like. >> madelyn, great ideas, thank you so much. and coming up next, cindy and george anthony speak out for the first time since the controversial verdict in their daughter's murder trial. ooh, the price sure doesn't. i'm tired of shopping around. [ sigh ]

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back now with the new interview can casey anthony's parents who are speaking out for the first time since their daughter's murder trial. >> reporter: george and cindy anthony have not spoken to their daughter since she walked free from jail. in a new interview they open up about casey's lies and actions, divulging family secrets never heard before. no longer on the stand and no longer in the courtroom, george and cindy spoke out for the first time since their daughter,

casey's trial. >> the last one i saw caylee with was casey. >> reporter: in an interview with dr. phil, the anthonys began to trace back where they think things went wrong. where they say casey's lies began. back to when she hid her pregnancy from her parents for five months. >> do you think it odd that she hid that from you all until that far into the pregnancy. >> we asked her when that happened, why didn't you tell us? >> reporter: but they say the lies continued to pile on. perhaps sparked by a family crisis. >> cindy and i had separated for a few months. i noticed her not being at the places she said she was going to be at. things never added up to me. >> reporter: the rift between casey and her parents deepened during that 2006 separation. because of george's secret gambling debts. >> everybody felt let down by their dad. and kind of betrayed. and the thing that hurt casey the most was that he wanted us to sell the house and split it up. that casey felt like he was kicking her and caylee out. >> my daughter has been missing for the last 31 days.

>> reporter: for the first time cindy revealed what happened when she finally confronted casey after not seeing her granddaughter for 31 days. >> i heard her telling lee that zanni had kidnapped caylee and that she hadn't seen caylee for 31 days. my worst nightmare had just unfolded right in front of me. >> what did you say to casey? >> i don't know. i just screamed at her. i said, what the hell are you talking about. i said what do you mean, you haven't seen caylee? i wanted to go choke her or hit her. and i just went over there and i just punched the bed as hard as i could to get my anger out. >> reporter: three years later, cindy is still trying to figure it all out. >> looking back now, i'm almost wondering if she didn't develop post postpartum schizophrenia or some type of issue after her pregnancy. >> reporter: and an even bigger bombshell. >> people don't know, she had a

grand mal seizure after she came home for the very first time. >> casey, what happened! >> reporter: cindy claims it was casey's second seizure. >> well, she had a seizure in november of 2007. her ex-fiance, justin, had casey taken to the hospital for a seizure. >> has she ever been evaluated, c.a.t. scans, mris? >> at that time, she did. >> did they find anything? >> not at that time. >> reporter: but doctors say grand mal seizures do not directly cause erratic behavior or lies. >> if patients fully recover after a seizure, there shouldn't be any changes in their personality or behavior. >> reporter: but for the anthonys, continued questions with no answers. >> i don't know why she's having a seizure. does she have a brain tumor? were the seizures caused by stress? i don't know what happened. and that's what i want to find out down the road. >> reporter: neurologists say grand mal seizures in young people can be caused by a

variety of problems in the brain. head injuries, prior history of infection as a child, even genetics. al? >> kerry sanders in los angeles, thanks so much. on a different note, sweet treats from brazil. first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning in today's kitchen, brazilian deserts that are easy as one, two, three. the sweetest part is, there is no baking required. author, teacher and brazilian-born chef letetia schwartz is here to show us how to make brigadedos. i just got back from brazil. i watch you guys all the time. so it was fun to be here to talk about brazilian foods. this is a really easy thing to make. a lot of people make little chocolate fudge balls going to be that easy. but actually, they are.

>> they're very easy and these guys are on fire. like brazil is on fire. our economy is booming, we're going to host the olympics and the world cup. and finally, brazil is starting to shine on its own, like this food. >> let's show people how to make it, it's the national candy of brazil. >> you start sweetened condensed milk. >> yes, some heavy cream, some butter and a dash of corn syrup. and we add some chocolate and some cocoa. >> unsweetened cocoa powder? >> yes. because the sweetened condensed milk is sweet enough. >> you want to whisk that. >> that's the hardest part is the consistency, right? >> exactly. you want to cook this until it becomes a very fudge, delicious, chocolate-y batter. your whole kitchen is going to smell like fudge. >> i smell it already. >> you want to be able to swirl the pan around like that. >> to cool it off on the bottom. exactly. you don't want to scrape the

bottom. it just slides perfectly from the bowl. and then you let it cool. >> do you refrigerate? >> you refrigerate it, exactly. overnight is even better. >> so it gets a harder consistency. >> and then you just scoop it into little balls like that. and then roll it into chocolate sprinkles. you want to roll into truffle-size. >> small size, right? >> yes. >> one of the tricks i've learned as i've made for my kids' classes, it helps to have margarine on your hands so you don't end up with a sticky mess. >> you want to use sprinkles that are done with real chocolate. >> right. >> but you have some variations here. >> we have some variations with coconut and pistachio. >> these look delicious. i'm going to try a pistachio one. >> we're still addicted to that. >> the good thing is even though they're high-calorie, they're small and you're not going to eat a lot. they're intense. >> the perfect indulgence.

>> you talk avacados, like you, i just came back from brazil. i was gathering recipes for a new cookbook i was working on and i went crazy at the farmer's market. talking to vendors and connecting with people who love brazilian food and culture. >> avacados, we think of it as a more salty type food, but in brazil, it's more of a dessert. >> exactly. you know. >> tell us, this is an avacado brulee. >> we have sweetened condensed milk. the flesh of two avacados and lime juice and we're going to process this until it becomes very smooth. >> creamy. >> perfect. silky. >> sometimes these things don't work here as we've been known to happen here. >> just like that, just like that. >> it will get the smooth consistency. >> do you put sugar in it? >> the sugar is going to go on top. like the brulee. >> exactly. >> we get that idea.

then you put it in these ramekins. >> try how smooth that is. >> and you're going to brulee them. >> brigaderos for everyone. >> we get to use the blow torch. >> like that. >> that's al's favorite tool. >> try that. >> that's the finished product. >> i love avacados. this is the perfect dessert. it's so good. >> letetia schwartz, thank you so much. we can't wait for your book to come out as well. hoda and kathie lee coming up.

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>> hoda and kathie lee. we're following breaking news at 9:56.

police are investigating a possible murder suicide in laurel. detectives tell us a woman was found around 8:00 this morning, and a second body was found a few blocks away along cherry lane. we have crews on the scene, and we will have more on news4 at 11:00. we have another beautiful day here in washington. let's find out if we are going to have it for a while. we will check traffic first, though. good morning. >> good morning. so far we are still seeing congestion. this is in virginia, i-66. your delays actually start at route 50 and they continue inside the beltway. this is a live look right now at blake lane. and outer loop of the beltway in virginia as well, robinson terminal still very slow. you are slow traveling from the 95 interchange all the way to i-66. in maryland, we're seeing a lot

of relief in the area. earlier we were busy but now it's clear. >> and we will have afternoon highs climb into the mid-80s and then showers and thunder showers are possible this evening through midday thursday, and then turning cooler, and down into the 40s on friday morning. more of the same on saturday. and then a bit milder on sunday, monday and tuesday. barbara? >> thank you, tom. coming up at

from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. captions paid for by nbc-universal television well, everybody, guess what. winesday, wednesday. september 14th. literally almost halfway through september. >> what is happening? >> it's called life. >> by the way, it's been the 80s in new york. friday it's going to start out they say at 48 degrees. it's going to snap right into fall. >> last night i could feel a little fall. i was texting cody. dad and i are sitting here in front of the fire missing you. i love to text. i never thought i'd love to text. i text. within ten seconds, calling me. don't tell him i said. >> he called you?

>> texting is great. but i don't want to bother him. i never know his schedule. who knows how he's doing in his room. all those things that kids do. i just try to leave the boy alone to grow up, you know? i did my job. it's time for him to be the man he's supposed to be. >> and he is. >> i'm telling you, i'm like, nothing makes me happier than when i get a call from my son. or my daughter. this kind of made me happy today, hodie. >> this is "people" magazine's best and worst dressed list. >> i just wear what people give me to wear, you know? >> okay. our girl, kathie lee gifford and ann curry both have made the list. as best dressed. >> she looks great in yellow. kathie lee is wearing -- whose dress is that? >> shoshanna.

she is a full figured gal. let's just put it that way. she knows how to make dresses that actually fit women who have mammary glands. but, unfortunately, they have me right next to christie brinkley. giving the old -- i'll show you the difference. this is how smart christi is. she never takes a picture full on like i do. look at the difference. see me now. she goes like this. see? i got to learn to play the game a little bit more. >> come on. you're on the best dressed list. there's some other people who made the list. let's see. jennifer hudson made the list. >> she looks amazing right now. jennifer aniston always looks so chic. adorable. >> jennifer aniston made it. >> kate middleton. >> the worst dressed people in case you're wondering, everyone loves this list. snooki made it for worst dressed. of course she did. david arquette made it.

sharon stone. >> who used to be a style icon. >> she made it both for best and worst. >> we always have off days. >> exactly. cynthia nixon made it for best dressed. >> yeah. >> you'll have to get the magazine. >> i love to see it all. great fun. >> couples are brad and angelina, russell brandt and katy perry. >> justin bieber and selena gomez. >> by the way, there's breaking news about justin bieber. he's announced today or someone said it or tweeted or maybe it's not even true. >> maybe it's not even true. who cares. >> anyway, he likes to wear girl jeans. because they just fit him well. >> we've met justin here. he's adorable. he's a sweet kid. but he's not -- he's no frank gifford if you know what i'm saying. he is -- >> you could snap him over your knee. he's teeny. i could understand he would wear girl jeans. >> the year he is, cody i think grew six inches that year. it ain't over yet, justin. you're going to be okay. or maybe it is, i don't know.

>> it didn't surprise me jennifer hudson was in the best dressed list. she has a charity for her nephew killed in that horrible murder spree. she walked out. >> people gasped, i bet. >> you couldn't believe how good june fe jennifer hudson looked last night. that's her big poster. that's her there at the podium. she looked great. >> i'm so proud of her. >> i have to tell you, she is radiating joy. for someone who lost, you know -- >> so much. her mom and her brother. >> and her nephew. she showed up with her son, by the way, who was such a scene stealer. i wanted to take him home. >> he's beautiful. my daughter's walking a catwalk tonight. >> we're going! >> and you and i and bobbie thomas are going to go sit there and watch cass. she's modeling for sherry hill who i guess does a lot of the prom dresses for kids. >> is she nervous? >> she takes it in stride.

she's excited to be asked. kendall jenner is going to be walking as well. they're great friends. she's about ten inches taller than cass. she said, mom, all the models came in for fittings the other day. i'm just a peanut. she's 5'4". i said, cass, all the more reason you just be you. she doesn't want to be a runway. she has no delusions. she's just excited to be there. >> last night if you were up late, jimmy kimmel had a little fun at our expense. you and jimmy are friends. >> i adore jimmy kimmel. love his entire family. was so sorry about uncle frank passing away. love jimmy. >> his show has moved in some markets to 11:00 p.m. which sparked this little bit he did. >> let's listen. >> you know, it's a big night for us because starting tonight, we are on earlier in chicago and dallas. we're on at 11:00 in those cities now. and we're moving up. my long-term goal is to be on so early that we go head to head with kathie lee and hoda.

>> it will take him -- >> you know what i love about jimmy, he's not mean spirited. he's like our jimmy here, jimmy fallon. smart, sweet guys who have the same friends in their lives forever. not one of those people that got the goal and then forgot where they came from and forgot everybody that helped them get there, you know. i don't like that, hoda. >> i know you don't. a lot of you have facebook friends. >> we have many new ones now. because we are running a contest! >> let me tell you something. this cutest baby contest is insane. we're going to talk about that in a second. but if you're on facebook -- >> we're going to talk about it now. mario lopez is coming up later. he thinks he's got the cutest baby in the world. mario, you've got a little competition. your little girl is adorable. we have some other ones for you to see. >> yes, we do. look at these babies, mario. these people are submitting their children.

>> oh! michael landen! >> that is crazy. cutest baby ever. oh, my god. look at sydnee in her teacup from georgia. >> that looks a little like your pictures when you were growing up. >> it does. look at the arms! the rolls! alia. look at that. you guys, we could look at -- oh! jp. >> another little one in the making. >> look at olivia! here's the idea. okay. stop it. >> all day long. oh, my god. >> okay. okay. that hat. come on. >> i know. the innocence of them. so naturally. >> avery and i will be friends when she grows zblup.

>> she's not afraid of getting her hair wet. >> your baby has to be between zero and 2. >> your baby has to be born. we don't want any sonograms, all right? >> anyway. >> they all look alike anyway. look atmy -- it looks like every other sonogram i've ever seen. >> go to facebook and do that thing sara said yesterday that was so long. click on it and you'll go and figure out how to do it. we like lists. this is the list of the highest paid men in entertainment. okay. >> surprise -- we'll get to number one. we'll surprise you at number one. i thought simon cowell might be towards the top. he's number five. how much does he make? we should know those things. >> yes. okay. >> that's the fun part. how much. >> elton john is number four. steven spielberg is number three. >> on the list all the time. >> number two is jerry br bruckheimer. >> who's done pirates of the

caribbean and all those movies. >> here's the number one entertainer in america. >> it's not al roker. >> it's tyler perry. tyler perry does all those madea movies. he makes tons of money. they're always number one. they get very little press. i know it took forever to get articles about him. you can't figure out why. sometimes the critics love you and make you successful. he's successful and the critics say look at me, i've kind of made it. >> i love what he did. this is a guy that was homeless at one time. almost like a j.k. rowling story. he did what god put him on this earth to do. writing stories about real-life people. not madea, of course. he's the writer. he's the director. he produces it and he often stars in them. >> he's such a good guy. >> he's such a sweetie. i'd like to know a sum. we still don't know? >> for which one? >> number one. >> tyler perry. >> tyler perry was -- what was it? $130 million.

>> oh, just $130 million. >> simon cowell was $90 million. >> that's before his new show takes off. juggernaut. can you spell juggernaut? >> i looked at one of the videos from "the x factor." i wish u i would have brought it here. i was in my dressing room blubbering. an incredible singer. >> he gets what's going on. >> if you guys are on facebook and you have a lot of friends, they've now found a way to categorize your friends. >> make you feel even worse about yourself. >> they'll be your close friends or your akwacquaintances or tho who are restricted. the good news is you can say, hey, i just want to let my close friends know. >> you can control it a little bit. at the same time, they know that they are now an acquaintance and not a friend. >> i think it's important you know where you stand in this world. that's why i don't do facebook. i get all the facebook i need right at this show. >> yes. >> you know what i'm saying? what would you do?

would i be -- hoda, are you happy? the happiest person in the world is a white collar worker, 42 years old, single, professional woman who earns less than $100,000. the happiest guy in the world? >> yeah. a 39-year-old man. >> of course, he's not 40 yet. he's married. somebody taking care of him. he earns between $150,000 to $200,000, senior management, a kid at home and a wife who works part time. the rest of the time she can get his coffee and slippers and stuff. we hope you're on the other side of those things. >> all right. coming up, we have a great guy. is it getting hot in here? >> mario's here. mario actually has a very cute second little children's book out. it's adorable. by the way, this chardonnay? i know you're gonna love. [ barks ] yes, it's new beneful healthy fiesta. made with wholesome grains, real chicken,

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just kidding. that's our tide. what's yours? you know, women aren't the only ones who worry about successfully juggling a spouse, kids and a career.

then do it, too. just ask our friend mario lopez. >> the tv host and author has released his second children's book. this one is called "mario & baby gia." >> it's very sweet. >> the names are so familiar. >> you know, i wrote it as a gift for my daughter, gia, on her first birthday. she was born on 9/11. coincidentally, this past sunday. it's a bright spot on an otherwise bleak day there. the characters in the book are -- i wanted them to be children, so they're cousins. ultimately it's about the importance of family and spending time together and i want families to do just that, spend time together, celebrate each other and read together. it's the second book in the children's series mud tacos which focuses on stories of my sister and. >> the same illustrate sner. >> yes. stories of my sister and i spending time in my grandmother's backyard. >> nana. >> exactly. we encourage kids to use their imagination, flex that muscle, show a little culture, too.

>> this little gia is always calling mario marigold. >> yeah. >> is mario fashioned after you? it's the cousin in this. is it the kind of kid you were? >> it's focused on my sister and i and the importance of sibling bonds. back in the day they used to make you play outside. >> those were good days. if it was good weather, you were outside. that's still a rule at our house. >> kids get stuck playing games. they're inside. they're getting chubbier because of it. that's what we want kids to do. we want them to play outside. we want them not only to flex the creative muscle but be a little physical, too. >> you asked the driver if he'd seen the moon. >> he said, he goes, i didn't get a chance to see it, he goes, but someone posted it on facebook. i just looked at it there. >> that is so sad. >> it is sad. it speaks a lot of the generation now. >> how is your life now with your baby? >> how you making time for your

family? >> love it. i feel very blessed. thank you so much. excited about the book coming out. i think kids are really going to respond to it. i have another show coming out tonight debuting. there's my girls right there! gia francesca. that was her little itchy dress she was crying about. >> wardrobe changes. >> at her birthday party, right. >> this show that debuts tonight is called "hater." >> yeah. speaking about the whole facebook/twitter generation, it's become sort of a forum for cowards and for haters. >> now they can just be so cruel. >> with no repercussions, no consequences. i thought, you know what? what if we approach these people who are bashing, i can't stand kathie lee. i can't stand hoda. here it is. >> get the record straight. >> this is just video of it. basically, the hater is confronted by the star he or she hates? >> exactly. they're saying, what's your problem? at the end of the day they spend a little time together. >> i think it's a great concept.

>> are there fireworks? does it get nasty? >> there are some fireworks. there's some awkward moments there for television. but i think ultimately -- >> it makes good television. >> at tend of the day it's got an important message. it's got an anti-bullying, don't hate, don't discriminate message. >> you don't know that person. you only know what you've read about them. you really don't know about them. >> it's not fair. very modern, original, hidden camera elements. funny. a lot of fun. >> have you had some people that just would not sign that release? >> no, no. we've had some people that don't convert their haters, too. wy got to kni got to know them still hate them. in fact, i hate them more. and some, i was totally wrong. they are so cool. i was so wrong. >> i bet that was the kim kardashian won. >> she won her over. that's a spoiler. >> most people you end up

liking. >> it's a lot about jealousy. >> it takes a lot of energy not to like someone. you've got to put a lot of effort into it. it's a thin line between the hater and the lover. >> mario the philosopher. >> look at you. >> we got to talk about you two girls coming out there. >> nobody hates me. all the best with the new book. it's adorable. >> and the show with maria! >> send our love to maria. up next, your photos come to live when sara brings you "what the what?" right after this. on a beach? on a mountain? or wherever you happen to be... the first step on that road may well be... a bowl of soup. delicious campbell's soups fill you with vegetable nutrition, farm-grown ingredients, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. putting you on the road to happiness. bon voyage.

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try new activia selects french yogurt. we are back with our digital segment we call "what the what?" >> you know what that means. sara sifted through all those photos you sent in in search of the ones that make you say "what the what?" >> our first photo from kiley postalwate from milton, ontario. at least they tell you right away. >> no dumping. >> don't dump there. >> but they have a dumpster. >> no. that's a port-a-potty. >> same difference. >> our next one was sent in from

california. i'm not that into conversation. >> reuse your cup throughout the day. and there's the restroom. >> ew. >> it was actually an unfortunate thing. it was on a boat tour. they were referring to a soft drink machine. so much for that. from iowa, this photo. when i asked for a bike for my birthday, this isn't exactly what i was expecting. >> oh, my gosh. it's a lawn mower. >> can you imagine trying to pedal through grass with that? >> that's the whole point. >> cuts the grass. >> next up, a photo from pat tyson from glendale, california. it's just so literal. >> hammered. >> you may get hammered here. or here on the fourth hour. we have a photo from bonnie harris from orange park, florida. someone clearly just took a trip to the hammered liquor store.

>> that looks on purpose, i pray to god. >> you think? >> i hope so. a little joke. >> are we all done? >> yes. >> guess who's sitting over there on our sofa? one of the most talented guys in the whole world. >> hank azaria! he's coming up very soon. >> we have a lot coming up. after this. we're all out of toilet paper. can you toss me a roll? too rough.

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we're following breaking news at this hour in laurel. a second body was found by the first dead body a short time later. good morning, i am barbara harrison.

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day wednesday pred ready to play "who knew?" we thought we'd channel your favorite tv series. kay t kathie lee is across the street ready to hand out 100 bucks to those who get the question right. to those who don't, they get her cd. >> two beautiful ladies from charleston, south carolina. all right. who was the only actor to be nominated for an emmy for the same character in three different tv series? andy griffith, bob newhart, mary tyler moore or kelsey grammer. >> mary tyler moore. >> sorry. no. they're all fine actors. but you're going to love the cd! >> the correct answer, kelsey grammer. >> kelsey grammer.

he won frazier crane in cheers and frazier. also, he won for a guest role on "wings" in 1990. >> okay. all right. good. back across to kraath. >> this gentleman is from chicago. which show holds the record for most emmy nominations ever? law and order, saturday night live, the simpsons or seinfeld? >> the simpsons? >> you know what? i'm going to give him this lullaby album. it would be so great if you gave it to her. and i'll get you another one! >> which show held the record. it was? >> "saturday night live." 142 emmy nominations over the years. >> you're kidding me. >> they handed out some of the emmys last saturday. there was so many of them they have to. justin timberlake actually won

for guest star, whatever. >> he was terrific on that. >> amazing. >> back across to kath. >> lady from fairbanks, alaska. true or false. jacqueline kennedy is the only first lady to win an emmy. >> false. >> is it true? >> it's true. it is true. >> enjoy. really. >> it's a great day for kathie lee. >> i know. for all of those people getting that cd. >> you got it. what did she win an emmy for? >> in 1962 she did a tour of the white house which you've seen clips of, especially lately. a lot of them have been shown. she was given an honorary emmy for that. >> that's ground breaking. >> it was after she redid the white house, yes. >> back across to kath. >> boynton beach, florida. >> all right. he says if i -- if i get the gift certificate can i buy the record for my grandmother? >> aw! that's sweet. >> that's not sweet.

that's rude. all right. what was the first cable television show to be nominated for an enema. not an enema. an emmy. larry sanders show, "sex and the city," oz or the sopranos. >> larry sanders show. >> yeah! >> he can buy several cds with that. okay. larry sanders. >> so amazing to think that just in 1993 cable shows were just not part of the emmys. now hbo cleans up every year. 1993 it got eight nominations. but lost to seinfeld that year. larry sanders continued to have this huge losing streak. it does hold the record for getting the first cable series. >> back across to kath. >> this gentleman is from cashmere, washington. in 2010 which tv series broke the amazing race's seven year winning streak for best reality competition program? was it project runway, survivor, american idol or to have chef? >> american idol.

>> what were you going to say? >> survivor. >> no. i think it was top chef? >> it most certainly was top chef. >> they're nominated again this year. this has become kind of a wild card category. you never know. this year, so you think you can dance, amazing race, project runway, american idol, dancing with the stars, top chef. who knows who's going to win. >> i didn't know top chef had won that many before. >> no. amazing race had won year after year after year. top chef just broke in last year. >> back across. time for one more. >> lady from illinois. which ak dress holds the record for the most emmy wins. >> kathy bates. >> it's a big day for kathie lee. >> i want to give a shout out! >> they handed out that category last saturday. she lost to gwyneth paltrow.

we love clarice leachman. modern family, "mad men," we'll see if those winning streaks can continue. >> thanks a lot. kathie lee is going to come back across the street. we've got to talk to hank azaria on life after divorce off screen and on tv. ever, to slow us down. so it's surprising that most women aren't getting enough calcium. but thankfully, with over 25 great flavors, like strawberry cheesecake and blackberry harvest, only yoplait original gives you 50% of the daily value of calcium and vitamin d in every cup. yoplait. it is so good. o0 c1 lose those lines, for up to a year! juvéderm® xc, is the gel filler your doctor uses to instantly smooth out lines right here. temporary side effects include redness, pain, firmness, swelling, bumps, or risk of infection. ask your doctor

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four time emmy winning actor hank azaire ya is a free agent. at least he plays one on tv.

>> on the nnbc comedy called "free agents" hank struggles to work out his own relations after a night of passion with a co-worker. not guilty. >> everybody keeps telling me i'm supposed to get back on the horse. i was wondering if you'd care to be that horse. i don't usually cry after sex. really. before and during, almost always. >> i like men who cry. >> what is her name? >> she's terrific. katherine hahn. >> amazing. >> you don't come see us enough. >> i know. >> this is an interesting character you play. you're a funny guy. but you're also very emotional and fragile. >> profoundly sad. just come out of marriage, and he literally -- there's an exchange where katherine is telling me you're too emotional to be doing anything. no, you're fine.

are you aware that you're crying right now? and she is -- her fiance has just recently passed away. two profoundly sad people who hook up at work rather illogically. >> hilarity ensues. >> it does, actually. it's very real and raw and lovely. >> good. it would take, i think, unbelievable writing for you to make a seven-year commitment. or five-year or something like that commitment. when you sign on to a series. was it the writing? the producer? what makes you -- >> all of the above. people i love. i tried to say no to this. but it was too good not to do. john enbalm who wrote a series called "party down." i don't know if you ever saw that. a very little seen thing. it was on starz network. it was incredible. i was a huge fan of that. >> you saw that right away. >> yeah. he writes very real hilarious situations. >> in real life you did go through a divorce with helen hunt. you did have to get back on the horse, didn't you?

>> quite literally. >> a little hilarity ensued there, too. >> yeah. i remember -- yes, in many ways, the joke was on me. i remember the first time -- the first time you go to date after a marriage, it's -- it's an event you don't forget. i was very nervous. i was leaving the friend's house. he had construction going on inside the house. i said to him, i said, be careful. a lot of holes out here. and i fell in a hole anyway. >> knowing there were -- >> a six-foot hole. >> a six-foot one? they're hard to miss. >> i cracked a rib. i showed up for the date anyway. >> how did it go? >> not that great. you think you would take it as a sign that god didn't want me to date at this point. maybe sit down for a little while longer. no. >> now you're in a relationship with a child. >> yeah. well, we have a child. >> i was going to say. i think that's illegal. you should probably call a lawyer. >> hoda woman. you're "dateline" hoda.

you should know better. >> you just never know with hank. >> it's good. recovering from that. i'm dating my son now. >> there's a side to you we don't know. >> he's 2 years, 3 months. really adorable. katie, who's an adult i'm with, we're very happily together. >> what's your little boy's name. i want to write children's books to him. >> that's very sweet. his name is hal, h-a-l. >> ha >> hal like the computer. >> i like the name hal because my father's al. it's a nice combination. >> hank and al. >> yeah. >> i'm sure he'll grow into someone who deserves a name like that instead of a little baby, hal. >> i kind of wanted to name him ralph. he should consider himself lucky. >> we wish you great luck. >> you are one of the talented actors in the whole world. >> you're very perspective.

thank you. >> you can catch hank and maybe some day hal in "free agents" which premieres tonight at 10:30/9:30 central. then moves to its regular time slot, wednesdays at 8:30/7:30 central right here on nbc. coming up next, we all put our pants on one leg at a time. but it's how we wear them that counts. so we're going to give you the best trousers for your body after this. ♪

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nice landing. it was. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. ♪ full-time time for today's style and the perfect pants for your body. >> people style watch's fashion director kate dimmic is here to match your shape to today's hottest styles. >> good to see you. >> good to see you both. >> it's the time of year we start thinking about covering up a little. >> we're going to start off with pear-shaped. a lot of women are pear-shaped and they want the right kind of trousers for them. >> right.

they think it doesn't exist. we brought it today. >> come on out. >> bring it! >> this is melanie. i love this express pant. it's about $50. >> wow. >> right? >> sleek shaped, dark color and very subtle vertical pleat creates a long, streamline for curves. >> this surprises me. two reasons. number one, it's got pants in it. you usually don't want to put -- not pants. pockets. it's also short. it doesn't go down to the top of the shoe. >> what it does, it kind of gives you -- you take her whole shape in. what's also really nice, you've paired it with a bright top to lift your eye up. it really balances her bottom heavy figure. i think by having a slightly more cropped pant, you can wear that heel. >> okay. looks great. thanks, hon. thanks, melanie. lisa is coming out. lisa is petite.

>> very. >> teeny, tiny. adorable. tell us about that. >> this is all about proportion and fit. this is a great pant from jara. about $50. the way it crosses her ankle, it fits her frame very well. there's a very subtle vertical crease that's going to give her a longer line. >> thank you so much. next up is kirby. who do we have here? >> this is actually universal l flattering. they're from jessica simpson, $69. the dark color and long cut, lengthening cut, is really so incredibly flattering. that little bit of a flare at the bottom balances the hip. >> this is doing very well for her, isn't it? the jessica simpson line. >> it's on fire. she has found her -- >> her niche. >> good for her. >> also these pants have great detail in the waist which is really, really perfect for somebody with an hourglass shape. >> should they be that long? they're long. >> they really should.

you always wanted to cover part of your heel. >> you don't want to drag it. >> no, no, no. especially not in new york city. >> you're going to be dragging in something you don't like. >> lastly, the boyish figure. let's see. come on out. >> here's lauren. >> mm-hmm. >> these pants skim her thighs in just a way that it gives her a great bit of shape. then they taper at her ankle. so it's giving her more proportionately shaped to her figure. we paired it with this great j. crew cardigan so it's giving her almost an hour-glass shape. >> you do a lot of solids on top. is that what you like? >> if you're worried about your body shape, it's a good choice. going back to our first look if you're pear-shaped, if she'd had a print on top it would have had the same effect of lifting your eye up. >> beautiful. thanks so much. up next, talking to your kids about your -- actually, their weight without making it a big deal. there's a way to do it. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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talking to your kids about sex and drugs can be very difficult. but a new survey by web md found something surprising. at the top of the tough topics list is talking to your child about weight issues. >> yeah. the fear is damaging your child's self-esteem. susan bartel is a contributing psychologist to web md. linda pierce is the editor in chief of family circle magazine. >> it's something we know we have to do. it's just how we do it, right? you're either dooming your child to a life of health issues if you don't or psychological issues if you don't do it well. >> right. web m.d. conducted this study as part of their fit initiative which is exactly to do what you're saying. really help parents talk to their kids about health and being healthy. they found that really so many parents are afraid to talk to their kids. >> at what age should you start? if your child, let's say, is 6 or 7 and eating all the sweets

and you're trying to control it, what's the right way to approach your child and talk about it? >> the really right way is to have healthy eating habits in your family all along. >> from the very beginning. >> let's just assume that hasn't been happening. if you're noticing your child is gaining weight, you have to pinpoint the reason why. it may not necessarily be because he's just eating too much. because a lot of kids when they go through puberty gain a lot of weight before they have a growth spurt. or a kid may be suddenly less active because he's dropped a sport or has more homework. or there may be some depression or anxiety issues going on. you really have to figure out what the root of the problem is. >> a lot of moms are guilty, a lot of women are in general, looking in the mirror with our kid there, do i look fat in this? >> you want to make sure you really aren't talking about negative things. you're talking about positive. making healthy choices, empowering us to be able to do sports, get enough sleep so our brains will work and not about the negative. >> not so much how you look but how you feel and how you are. >> don't use the word diet.

it's about healthy eating. the most important thing you can do is eat together as a family. you want a role model. >> we don't anymore. very rarely. >> we don't enough. >> you don't want to single out one child. >> right. >> say you're the one who's fat who has to lose weight. we're all going to do it together as a family to be healthier together, exercise together. everyone will then want to participate and jump onboard. >> the tone is so important. it was one of those things. i was very -- i was heavy through the end of high school and all of college and was completely unaware that i was huge. i honestly didn't realize it. but i had a lot of issues in life. weight isn't one of them because i didn't think about it all the time. >> she has the hair stuff. >> the survey found parents are afraid to talk to their kids because they're afraid it'll trigger an eating disorder. >> sometimes it does. >> if you do it in a nurturing, healthy way it won't contribute to an eating disorder. >> find other ways to start the conversation. look in neighbor a celeb magazine and say does that

person have a good body? do you think that that's a good weight for that celebrity? how do you feel about your weight? how do you feel about your body? >> thank you. >> thanks, ladies. >> for more information on raising fit kids head to klgandhoda.com. tomorrow we'll talk about how to unspoil your kids. >> is it possible? >> i don't know. doubt it. plus, what you're telling people every time you shake their hand. >> what? >> uh-oh. >> you know those handshakes they're talking about. >> oh, i don't like the clammy kind. have an awesome winesday, everybody. see you tomorrow for thirstday thursday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com